Iran has denied Australian scientist Kylie Moore-Gilbert’s early release. A spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry said yesterday that the Islamic scholar detained for alleged espionage must serve her sentence. His country would not buckle because of „political games and propaganda“. Moore-Gilbert was arrested for jeopardizing „Iran’s national security“. Her judgment was made in accordance with applicable law.
Australia „deeply concerned“
The arrest of the scientist was confirmed in September. According to her family, she was arrested several months earlier. She is in Tehran’s Evin prison. She is reported to have gone on a hunger strike after unsuccessfully appealing the ten-year sentence.
Australian Secretary of State Marise Payne expressed „deep concern“ and asked Moore-Gilbert to be treated „fairly, humanly and in accordance with international norms“.
A number of Western nationals are currently detained in Iran. The most prominent prisoner is Iranian-British citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been serving a prison sentence since 2016.
