Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert has been jailed and moved to a notorious remote prison in Iran for spying. Since September 2018, she has been in ‘Qarchak Prison.’
Following an accusation of espionage, while attending a conference in Tehran, the lecturer got arrested. Ms. Moore-Gilbert denies all the charges against her, maintaining her innocence.
For two years, Ms. Moore-Gilbert spent her time in Evin prison. However, this week, the Iranian government shifted to the infamous ‘Qarchak prison‘ which lies in the east of Tehran.
Qarchak prison is a dangerous prison, especially for women.
Photo Credit: news.com.au
A spokeswoman from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the news. She said,
Dr Moore-Gilbert’s case is one of the Australian Government’s highest priorities, including for our embassy officials in Tehran,
Our Ambassador to Iran recently visited Dr Moore-Gilbert in Evin Prison, and she has had telephone contact with her family and the ambassador over the last several months.
Whereas, Reza Khandan – an Iranian human rights campaigner – posted the news of Ms. Moore-Gilbert’s transfer on Facebook.
Condition Inside Prison
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported the harsh state of the prisoners.
It said there’s extreme overcrowding, so it doesn’t have different quarters for prisoners. Prisoners live in large, open areas with only 600 beds for more than 2000 prisoners, with hundreds left on the floor to live on.
Photo Credit: women.ncr-iran.org
The US State Department decided in December 2019 that Qarchak Prison meets the requirements for “gross human rights violations,” defining it as “an environment that enables rape and murder.”
About Kylie Moore-Gilbert’s Confinement
Earlier this week, Ms. Moore-Gilbert spoke, in a phone call, to an Iranian human rights activist that she had not been in touch with her family for about a month.
In a Facebook post, Reza Khandan, the husband of imprisoned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, said Ms. Moore-Gilbert was in “a very bad condition.“
Who is Kylie Moore-Gilbert? Wiki-Bio
Kylie Moore-Gilbert is a dual Australian-UK national. She is a lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne. Her lectures focus on politics in the Arab Gulf states.
#BREAKING DFAT has named University of Melbourne academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert as the Australian woman jailed in Iran.
— ABC Politics (@politicsabc) September 14, 2019
A statement from her family says they thank the government and the University for their support during this "distressing and sensitive time" @abcnews #auspol pic.twitter.com/5VCoGbeAvg
Kylie Moore-Gilbert Nationality
British-Australian
Career Background
Kylie Moore-Gilbert is a graduate of All Saints’ College. She graduated in 2005. At the University of Cambridge, she studied Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. In 2013, Ms. Moore-Gilbert graduated with first-class honors.