Oct. 26 (UPI) — A New Zealand couple that has been detained in Iran for months has been released, government officials said Wednesday, as they warn citizens against traveling to the Middle Eastern country that is confronting mass anti-regime protests.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a Facebook live that her government has worked “very hard” over the past few months to see the two Kiwis exit Iran.
She said it is not for her to comment on the details or circumstances surrounding Iran’s detainment of the two people, but that “it’s fair to say that it’s been an incredibly difficult situation over the last few months.”
The couple has been identified by local media as Topher Richwhite and his wife, Bridget Thackwray, the social media influences behind Expedition Earth, which, according to its website, aims to promote environmental issues and those who work to resolve them.
The pair last posted to their Instagram page — which documents their travels and has more than 300,000 followers — in July.
It is not clear when exactly they were detained in Iran or why. Iran has yet to comment on the release of the two New Zealanders.
The announcement comes as mass anti-regime protests continue in Iran that were sparked last month by the death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman died Sept. 16 in police custody after being arrested days earlier.
The death of Amini and the subsequent bloody crackdown on protests, which, according to Oslo-based Iran Human Rights organization, has resulted in 234 people killed, including 29 minors, has attracted condemnation from democratic nations, including New Zealand.
Ardern reiterated her country’s condemnation not only over Amini’s death and the government’s reaction to the ongoing protest but over Tehran’s treatment of women and girls.
She told the public that Iran’s release of the Kiwis does not change New Zealand’s stance concerning the situation in the Middle Eastern country.
“Of course, we have shared our condemnation. At the same time, we have had also a duty of care to try and ensure that those New Zealanders were able to exit Iran,” she said. “We’ve worked very hard to do both: to ensure their safety but to also place our values on record on what is happening in Iran. And I’d do that again today.”
The Oceanic nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Wednesday also issued a statement updating its travel advice for Iran.
The new advice reiterates the warning to not travel to the country, which has been in places since early 2020, but adds “that due to the potential for violence civil unrest, the risk of arrest or detention and the volatile security situation in the region, the risk to safety in Iran is significant,” Nanaia Mahuta, the minister, said in a statement.
It instructs New Zealanders in the country to avoid all demonstrations, rallies and large public gatherings as they could turn violent and to stay away from any areas where police or security forces have been deployed as their presence could be misinterpreted.
Mahuta also called for an independent and credible investigation into Amini’s death and for authorities to exercise restraint in responding to the demonstration.
Golriz Ghahraman, a member of Parliament for the Green Party and an Iranian New Zealander, voiced her frustration with the government’s response to the protests online, asking if it will now impose Iran-related sanctions.
“So, now will it finally condemn and sanction atrocity committing Iranian political and security leaders?” said asked via Twitter.
