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Australian couple arrested in Iran were bloggers

The Guardian newspaper has identified the Australian couple who have been detained in Iran for the past 10 weeks as video bloggers Jolie King and Mark Firkin.

According to the newspaper, the two started going on adventurous travels around the world in 2017 and published them in their blogs.

The Islamic Republic officials have not announced the couple’s charges yet.

According to the report, Firkin and King, who also has a British passport, were arrested near Tehran and transferred to Evin prison. The two had traveled to Iran with Australian passports.

In a separate case, an Australian national whose identity is yet to be determined is also detained in Evin prison. She is said to be a female university professor who has received a sentence of 10 years in prison, but her charges are unknown.

After the news of their arrest became public on Wednesday, the Australian government started negotiations with the Islamic Republic for their release.

Some reports indicate that the couple were arrested after flying a drone in the suburbs of Tehran.

The two had traveled to Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Pakistan before visiting Iran.

The Islamic Republic officials so far have not commented on their situation, but Iranian judicial authorities have expressed willingness for prisoner exchanges with foreign governments in the past.

The relations between Iran and Australia have always been cordial, but last month, Australia joined the US-led coalition to protect shipping in the Persian Gulf and the Australian prime minister described Iran’s behavior in the region as “destabilizing.”

The Australian government has asked citizens to avoid traveling to Iran due to the threat of arbitrary arrest of foreign citizens.

 

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