Australian scientist imprisoned in Iran: ‘it was destroyed’

An Australian scientist imprisoned in Iran on suspicion of espionage said she had been subjected to psychological abuse. She escaped, but returned to prison, fearing the consequences of her arrest. Kylie Moore Gilbert first told her story on Sky News Australia.

Moore Gilbert, a lecturer in Middle Eastern studies at the University of Melbourne, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018 and ultimately served two years in prison. She was released in November in exchange for three Iranians held abroad.

She denies that she was a spy. She is convinced that she was arrested to put pressure on the Australian government, something Iran denies.

The isolation cell was destroyed

Kylie Moore Gilbert spent seven months in an isolated cell of four square meters for two years in prison. There was only a phone she could use to talk to the guards. “You’re crazy. It’s devastating. I thought, if I could, I’d kill myself.”

The Australian man managed to escape one day, but decided to return to prison on her own.

“I put socks on my hands so I could grab the sharp nails on the prison wall. Then I climbed on a roof and down to another wall. Then I ran to a village a little further away.” Moore-Gilbert decided to return at the end, because she was dressed in prison clothes, did not speak the language and feared the consequences of her arrest after the search.

Moore Gilbert said in an interview with Sky News that she is still working on her recovery.