Last month, the Iran judiciary released details about three Australian citizens who were being held under arrest on espionage-related offences.
Two of those prisoners, travel bloggers Jolie King and Mark Firkin, have now been released from jail, allowed to return home to Australia. The pair had been on a world trip that kicked off in 2017.
At the time, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esamaili had explained the reason for the Australians’ detainment, reported by Reuters.
“Two of them had taken pictures in military areas and the third (was detained) for spying for a third country. The court will decided whether this person (detained for spying) is guilty or not.”
Reports emerged that King and Firkin had been arrested by Iranian officials over ten weeks ago, while the third Australian – Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert – had been arrested late last year.
For King and Firkin, their lack of activity on social media alerted their followers to the possibility something bad had happened to the pair. It was then revealed that they had been arrested for allegedly flying a drone without a permit.
In a statement published by the ABC, all charges against King and Firkin have been dropped.
“While the past few months have been very difficult, we know it has also been tough for those back home who have been worried for us,” the couple from Perth said.
“We are grateful for the efforts of the Australian Government in helping secure our release, and we thank our family and friends for their love and support.”
Dr. Moore-Gilbert remains in prison, having reportedly been convicted and sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment by the Iranian authorities.
