Identity of Two Detained Australian Citizens in Iran Revealed; ‘Illegal Drone Filming’ is the Charge Against Them

The Australian government has announced the identity of two of its citizens who were detained while traveling to Iran recently. The two tourists are reportedly accused of ‘illegal filming’ with a drone.

The ABC News network on Thursday, September 21, identified the names of the two detained Australian citizens as ‘Julie King’ and ‘Mark Firkin,’ who have been traveling to various countries since 2017 and sharing their experiences on social media networks.

The couple was detained when they traveled to Iran. According to this report, the charge against these two Australian tourists is ‘illegal filming’ with a drone.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in a statement released on Thursday, September 21, confirmed and announced the identity of these two citizens by their families, noting that they are residents of Perth, the capital of Western Australia.

According to the released statement, the families of these individuals said they would not make ‘further comments’ under current circumstances.

The Guardian reported that Julie King and Mark Firkin both traveled with Australian passports.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also announced that the federal government is carefully examining the matter and is in close contact with official authorities.

This Australian government official also emphasized that public disclosure and media coverage of issues can be harmful.

The British newspaper The Guardian also reported on the detention of another Australian-British citizen, a university professor and woman who has been sentenced to ten years in prison. However, no details about the possible charges against this woman were reported.

According to the newspaper, the Australian government has been negotiating for the release of all three detained individuals since their detention.

Iranian judicial authorities have not yet commented on the detention of these individuals.

The detention of dual nationals and citizens of other countries in Iran has precedent, and Western analysts say the Islamic Republic uses dual nationals as hostages to extract money and concessions from Western governments.

The U.S. Department of State has repeatedly condemned the arbitrary and despotic detention of American citizens and citizens of other countries, including Iranian dual nationals, by the Islamic Republic regime and has called for their immediate and unconditional release.

Source: Voice of America