SYDNEY – An Australian-British lecturer jailed for spying by Iran has been released after two years, as part of a swap for three Iranian prisoners reportedly linked to a botched Bangkok bomb plot.
Middle East scholar Kylie Moore-Gilbert said leaving Iran was “bittersweet” despite the “injustices” she had endured during more than 800 days detained in some of Iran's toughest prisons.
“I came to Iran as a friend and with friendly intentions,” she said, praising the “warm-hearted, generous and brave” Iranian people.
After what she called a “long and traumatic ordeal”, the University of Melbourne Islamic studies lecturer said she faced a “challenging period of adjustment” at home in Australia.
The 33-year-old was arrested by Iran's hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 2018, after attending an academic conference in the holy city of Qom in central Iran. She was later charged with espionage and sentenced to ten years in jail.
The first images of a freed Moore-Gilbert emerged from Iranian state television late yesterday, sparking elation from friends and family who had campaigned for her freedom and maintain her innocence.
In footage broadcast by Iran's Irib news agency from Tehran airport, Moore-Gilbert was seen wearing a headscarf and a face mask, accompanied by the Australian ambassador.
Seemingly aware of the camera, she removed the mask to confirm her identity.
The outlet also showed a video of three men, who were later confirmed by Thailand as the plotters behind the failed 2012 bomb attack targetting Israel diplomats in Thailand.
The Sydney Morning Herald named the three as Mohammad Khazaei, Masoud Sedaghat Zadeh and Saeed Moradi.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison would only say that Australia had not released any prisoners.
He added that he had spoken to Moore-Gilbert and confirmed she would receive health and psychological support on her return.
British foreign secretary Dominic Raab, in a tweet, called on Iran to "release all the remaining British dual nationals" detained in the country.
Moore-Gilbert's release came as British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was also detained by Iranian authorities, was granted temporary leave because of the Covid-19 outbreak. – AFP, November 26, 2020
