The British-Australian academic who was recently sentenced to ten years’ jail in Iran has been named as Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a lecturer from the University of Melbourne.
Dr Moore-Gilbert, an expert in international relations and Islamic studies, was teaching at the university’s Asia Institute when she was imprisoned in 2018.
The charges against her remain unclear, and she has been granted only limited consular visits, but BBC news reports that ten-year terms are routinely given for spying in Iran.
It is understood that Dr Moore-Gilbert was lecturing in Middle East politics at the time of her arrest.
Her name was kept secret until this week for fear it might jeopardise her prospects of release, but it has now been confirmed by her family and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
In a statement, her family said that her imprisonment has been a “distressing and sensitive” time, adding:
“We believe that the best chance of securing Kylie’s safe return is through diplomatic channels. We will not be making any further comment and would like to request that our privacy – and that of our wider family and friends – is respected at this time.
Kylie Moore-Gilbert is reportedly being held in the same Tehran prison as Australian travel bloggers Mark Firkin and Jolie King, who were recently detained in Iran for flying a drone.
Foreign minister Marise Payne says the Australian government is “making efforts to ensure they are being treated fairly, humanely and in custom to international norms.”
