Abduction of Two New Zealanders in Iran by Security Forces
Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian academic who was herself imprisoned in Iran, confirmed on her Twitter account the disappearance of two New Zealand citizens, Topher and Bridget Ridgeway, in Iran and said it seems they have been detained in Iran.
Emphasizing that the policy of silence regarding foreign prisoners in Iran does not work, she wrote that New Zealand media are aware of the situation, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pressuring them and the family not to publish their accounts.
According to Moore-Gilbert, Topher and Bridget entered Iran from the Turkish border in July of this year, and there has been no information about them since. She likens their situation to that of Australian tourists Jolie King and Mark Firkin and French tourist Benjamin Brière, who were all detained while traveling in Asia.
In conclusion, Kylie Moore-Gilbert urged New Zealand media to release the accounts they have, as the diplomacy of silence in such situations never benefits the detainees.