Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian academic serving a 10-year prison sentence in Iran for espionage, has been transferred to one of the worst women’s prisons in the world.
The Australian government has confirmed Moore-Gilbert was moved to the notorious Qarchak women’s prison, located in the desert south-east of Tehran.
The Cambridge educated academic, who worked as a lecturer in Islamic studies at Melbourne University, had been held in Tehran’s Evin Prison for nearly two years and was transferred to Qarchak four days ago.
The desert prison has a reputation for its harsh conditions, overcrowding and violence. There have also been reports it is stricken with coronavirus cases.
A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Moore-Gilbert’s case is one of the federal government’s highest priorities.
“We are urgently seeking further consular access to her at this new location,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“We hold Iran responsible for Dr Moore-Gilbert’s safety and well-being.
“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.”
Moore-Gilbert was arrested in September 2018 after attending an academic conference in Qom, which she had been invited to speak at. She was later convicted of espionage in a secret trial and given a sentence of 10 years. She has denied the charges and has appealed without success.
Read the article by Madeline Hislop in Women’s Agenda.