Latest news with #KylieMooreGilbert
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Kylie Moore-Gilbert was falsely imprisoned in an Iranian jail cell while her husband had an affair... now she has some incredible news to share
An Australian academic detained on false espionage charges in one of Iran 's most hellish prisons has revealed she's just months away from welcoming her second child. Kylie Moore-Gilbert was held in Evin and Qarchak prisons in Tehran from September 2018 after she was arrested by the intelligence arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard when she tried to fly out of the country after attending a conference. Once she was finally freed and allowed to return home to Australia in November 2020, Dr Moore-Gilbert discovered her then-husband, Ruslan Hodorov, had started a new relationship with her University of Melbourne colleague and PhD supervisor, Kylie Baxter. She divorced Mr Hodorov soon after. Dr Moore-Gilbert then met her new partner, broadcaster and comedian Sami Shah, on a dating app before the pair had a daughter in 2023. Now they are expecting a baby boy in October. 'I knew I wanted to have kids when I was in prison,' she told the High Steaks podcast. 'You think at length about all kinds of life choices and what matters in your life. 'It was a source of great angst to me that I had this 10-year prison sentence and I could potentially be 41-years-old by the time I was released from prison and maybe I'd never have that opportunity to have a family.' Dr Moore-Gilbert, the cousin of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, was arrested after two people she attended a conference alongside flagged her as 'suspicious'. An Iranian Revolutionary Court judge sentenced her to 10 years' incarceration in a secret trial where no evidence against Dr Moore-Gilbert was presented. Dr Moore-Gilbert believes she was a victim of hostage diplomacy. Five years after her release, Dr Moore-Gilbert said she felt gratitude she had met Mr Shah, who has a 16-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. 'I never expected at the time to find someone so quickly,' she says. 'I'm really, really fortunate and, you know, maybe the universe owed me a round of good luck.' Though she expressed trepidation at being a 'boy mum' in today's society, highlighting the need for boys to have male role models, particularly in online spaces where misogynistic views are prolific. 'It really concerns me,' she said. 'I think it's lucky that my partner, Sammy, is quite a feminist dad, and he's very open-minded, and having gender equality is important to him. 'That ethos coming through from the family and those values coming through from the family is really important.' Dr Moore-Gilbert who survived being kept in a freezing, tiny cell and subject to psychological torture, said the task of parenting two kids under the age of three was still daunting.
ABC News
30-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert on the bombing of Iran's Evin prison
Israel recently bombed the gates of Iran's notorious Evin prison, a place that Dr Kylie Moore Gilbert came to know all too well. The political scientist and author was imprisoned in Iran for 804 days and eventually released in a prisoner swap in November 2020. In this chat with Matt Bevan, Kylie talks about solitary confinement, Iranian cheetahs, how her first cellmate was a spy, and why the regime is cracking down on dissidents right now. Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app. Check out our series on YouTube:
ABC News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
University hit with sanctions warning after Iranian state media attended event on campus
A Sydney university has been warned about a possible breach of Australian sanctions on Iran over a controversial event held on campus earlier this year. The Australian Sanctions Office investigated the event held at Western Sydney University as a possible breach of sanctions placed on PressTV, an English-language state media outlet run out of Iran. In February, the Benevolent Iranian Women's Association held an International Women's Day event at the university's South Parramatta campus, aimed at "addressing misconceptions" about the status of women in Iran. It was attended by independent senator Fatima Payman, who gave an interview to PressTV which was subsequently edited and published on the organisation's social media channels. Senator Payman later apologised for her comments that suggested Iran was an "incredible place" for women. The comments were condemned by Australian-based advocates for women in Iran and prompted questions about why PressTV was seemingly operating freely in Australia. Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a political scientist who spent two years detained in Iran, said PressTV's coverage of the event put "the integrity of the entire sanctions regime into question". PressTV has been a sanctioned entity in Australia for nearly two years, which essentially prohibits financial dealings with the state broadcaster. It was sanctioned over its broadcast of forced confessions, the announcement of which was timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of Iran's morality police detaining 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who would eventually die in custody. The sanctions office investigated the event earlier this year and the matter was raised with Department of Foriegn Affairs and Trade officials during estimates hearings in the weeks after it was held. It led to "corrective action" being taken, which can include formal warnings, monitoring of transactions being stepped up, or tighter restrictions on trade permits. The sanctions office does not ordinarily detail steps taken to enforce sanctions, but Western Sydney University has confirmed it was issued an informal warning. A university spokesperson maintained it did not know PressTV was attending the campus or the full nature of the event at the time it was booked. "The university was contacted by the Australian Sanctions Office," they said. "This was not a Western Sydney University event. Organisers hired a university venue, informing us it was for an International Women's Day event. The university was not told that PressTV would be attending. "Notwithstanding the circumstances of the booking, the Australian Sanctions Office has provided an informal warning to the university. "The university has cooperated fully with the Australian Sanctions Office and the university has taken measures to prevent a similar incident from occurring." It is not known if other actions or warnings have been issued to others involved in the event, but sources have told the ABC that Senator Payman has not been issued a warning. A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it could not comment on specific incidents. "The Australian government takes sanctions compliance seriously. The Australian Sanctions Office is Australia's sanctions regulator and performs independent evaluations of compliance," they said. "It is the longstanding practice of successive Australian governments not to comment on individual sanctions compliance matters."
ABC News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Kylie Moore-Gilbert says Iranians fear they're about to pay the price from a vengeful regime
Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was incarcerated in Iran's prison system for two years, says Iranians the conflict doesn't escalate and that the ceasefire holds.
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Aussie academic's defiant demand after gates of notorious Iranian prison where she was held for more than two years are blown up by Israel
An Australian academic falsely accused of being a spy by Iran has taken to social media after the gates to the prison where she was held were bombed by Israel. Israeli weapons struck Evin prison in northern Tehran on Monday - a potent symbol of Iran 's governing system - in what Israel called its most intense bombing of Tehran yet, a day after the United States hit three nuclear sites in the country. Kylie Moore-Gilbert was held in the prison from September 2018 to November 2020 after she was arrested by the intelligence arm of the Islamic Revolutionary guard when she tried to fly out of the country after a short conference she had attended. Evin prison is renowned for holding political prisoners, dual nationals and foreigners who could be used as bargaining chips in negotiations by its government. 'If (this was) intentional and not a missile gone astray, hitting the gates of Evin prison would be a hugely symbolic act,' Moore-Gilbert said. 'Unlikely any prisoners would be able to escape if just the gates have been taken out, as there are multiple other gates, checkpoints and locked doors beyond that. 'I am thinking of the many thousands of prisoners inside, who must be terrified and with little information about what's going on. 'Iran should release all political prisoners immediately and enable them to shelter somewhere safe, although that will almost certainly be expecting too much.' Iran has repeated earlier threats to retaliate against the United States after it partnered with Israel to strike Iran on Sunday. US bombers dropped bunker-buster bombs on Iran's underground nuclear sites, and President Donald Trump has since mused about overthrowing its government. Iran's IRIB state broadcaster released video showing rescue workers combing flattened wreckage of Evin prison, carrying a wounded man on a stretcher. The Mizan news outlet of Iran's judiciary said urgent action was being taken to protect the health and safety of inmates. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted a video on X showing an explosion at a building with a sign identifying it as an entrance to the prison. 'Viva la libertad!' Saar wrote. Reuters could not immediately verify the video posted by Saar, although other videos showing the aftermath were verified as genuine. Evin has been the primary prison for housing political detainees and security prisoners, notably since Iran's 1979 revolution, and the site of executions that remain potent symbols for the opposition. It is where several high-profile foreign prisoners are also held. Israel 's military said Israel had also struck Revolutionary Guard command centers responsible for internal security in the Tehran area. 'The IDF is currently striking, with unprecedented force, regime targets and governmental repression bodies in the heart of Tehran,' Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. There were conflicting reports on Iranian media about the full extent of strikes on Tehran, a city of 10 million people where much of the population has fled after 10 days of bombing. Tasnim news agency reported a strike at an electricity feeder station in the Evin neighbourhood. Power company Tavanir reported some areas in the capital saw electricity cuts. Iran's student news network reported that Shahid Beheshti University, one of the main universities in Tehran, had also been hit. The university's public relations office denied it.
