British-Australian academic detained in Iran moved out of desert prison

 Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert has been moved from prison but her current whereabouts are unknown

Credit: Nick Razzell

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, the British-Australian academic who has been detained in Iran for the past two years, has been moved from the notorious desert prison of Qarchak to an unknown location.

Her move was first reported by the Iranian Association of Human Rights Activists, who said that she was moved, along with all of her belongings, on Saturday. 

A source close to the case confirmed the move, but did not know any further details. There has been no official word from the Iranian government.

Dr Moore-Gilbert, a lecturer in Islamic Studies, was arrested for espionage after attending a conference in Qom in 2018. She was charged in a secret trial and given 10 years imprisonment. Both Dr Moore-Gilbert and the Australian government reject the charges, which they say are politically motivated.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claim that someone she interviewed for a research project flagged her as suspicious so they stopped her from returning to Melbourne.

Qarchak prison, in the desert on the eastern outskirts of Tehran, has a reputation for being the most dangerous of the country’s women’s prisons. Dr Moore-Gilbert had been moved from Evin prison in Tehran to Qarchak in August, which activists at the time believed to be a “punishment”.

It was not immediately clear where Dr Moore-Gilbert has been taken. Just 11 days prior to her movement she had been transferred to Ward Eight (formerly known as the Mothers’ Ward) of Qarchak, alongside at least 15 other political prisoners.

While those campaigning for her release see her move as a sign of hope, not knowing where the mystery location she has been sent to or the reason behind the move, gives little to base it on.

Handout photo supplied by the family of Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert 

Credit: PA

"We hope with every bone in our bodies that this is good news for Kylie, but we have been disappointed so many times before,” the Free KylieMG group told the Telegraph. “We call on the Australian government to urgently confirm Kylie’s whereabouts and safety."

According to the Iranian Association of Human Rights Activists, Qarchak is trying to deal with a coronavirus outbreak in the prison.

In letters smuggled out of the prison at the beginning of this year, Dr Moore-Gilbert said that she had turned down an offer to spy for the Iranian government in return for a reduced sentence.