Family of woman imprisoned by Iranian regime identifies her

The academic’s family revealed her name in a statement issued through the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on September 14.

In the statement, the family said they were in close contact with the Australian government, adding "the best chance of securing Kylie's safe return is through diplomatic channels."

British and Australian media have reported that Moore-Gilbert has been sentenced to 10 years in jail by Iranian authorities although the charges were unclear.

Moore-Gilbert was working as a lecturer specializing in Middle East politics for Melbourne University's Asia Institute before she was jailed in October 2018.

Moore-Gilbert is one of three Australian citizens detained in Iran. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on September 12 that the government had been working on securing their release for more than a week.

On September 10, the Australian Foreign Ministry identified two of the detainees as Australian Mark Firkin and British-Australian Jolie King.

King, a travel blogger, and her fiance Firkin were arrested near a military site in Jajrood near Tehran on August 9, reports said earlier this week.

Britain's The Times newspaper has reported that all three are being held in the Evin prison, where political prisoners are usually held.

t is the same prison where a British-Iranian aid worker, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, has been jailed since 2016 on spying charges, The Times said.

Tehran has detained several Iranian and dual-national academics in recent years, sparking fears Iranian regime is using them as diplomatic leverage.