Australian travel bloggers released from Iranian detention

Australian travel bloggers, Jolie King and Mark Firkin, held in detention in Iran since July, have been released and all charges against them dropped.

Australian Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, told reporters on Saturday that the couple is in good health, good spirits and have been reunited with their families to fly home.

The couple set out from Perth in 2017 to drive from Australia to the UK, documenting their adventures on social media and frequently using a drone to film their travels.

The couple were arrested in July after taking photos of military facilities with a drone without a permit in Tehran province, Iranian officials said.

They had since been held in the notorious Evin prison, north of Tehran.

“The ordeal the couple have been through is now over, they are being reunited with their loved ones,’’ Ms Payne said.

Ms King is a joint Australian-British citizen and has lived with Firkin for several years in Australia.

Both Australia and Britain had urged Iran to release the couple.

Another Australian, university lecturer Kylie Moore-Gilbert, is still behind bars in Evin Prison where she was sentenced 12 months ago to 10 years jail for spying.

Ms Payne said Ns Moore-Gilbert’s case was “very complex” as the precise charges were unclear.

“We are continuing our discussions with the Iranian government.

“We don’t accept the charges upon which she was convicted and we will seek to have her returned to Australia,’’ she said.

(NAN)