NevadaLover
Forking Icehole
Like most of the fanboys on this forum.
Australian and British bloggers arrested in Iran
- Thread starter Chucaro
- Start date
perterra
Adventurer
I'd guess like most people these days. It's not a forum issue, just turn on the news and listen.
I’ve been watching them for some time and couldn’t disagree more with your characterization.
roving1
Well-known member
Wouldn't be the first time. People love X Overland and that channel rubs me wrong in 10 different ways too.
GB_Willys_2014
Well-known member
The regime in Iran, that is the crazy Mullahs who repress minorities, deny the Holocaust, demonize Israel, support terrorism (Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria's Assad), etc., is the problem.
The Artisan
Adventurer
I was reading about them after I saw someone post about them on IG about their arrest. Last I read is that media said they are being both charged as spies, if this the case they have long battle ahead.
Kevin
Kevin
AbleGuy
Officious Intermeddler
Very, very sad. According to some, I suppose we now should gleefully gloat that this means a couple of young, careless “influencers” might receive unduly lengthy, harsh sentences to be served in a horrible foreign prison, just because they were less intelligent than we think they should have been in these circumstances. Punishment fits the “crime” here? I don’t think so.
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The Artisan
Adventurer
Unfortunate yes but knowing how volatile Iran is, they should have by passed it all together. If they had to go through it then drive and not stop and take pics or use the drone, if that is what really happend. It is all speculation at this point but being charged with being spies, they could spend the rest of their lives in a Iranian prison. Let's hope that is not the case.
Kevin
AbleGuy
Officious Intermeddler
Well said.
Many of us here on the forum are, to use the term frequently favored here...ROF’s. We’re older guys, many of whom no doubt did lots of understandably stupid, dangerous (or even illegal) stuff in our misguided youth. Those activities are all a part of growing up and we’re blessed if we survived them without brain damage, missing fingers or a criminal record.
But I for one am very happy today, in my growing decrepitude, to be able to look back at those younger days and know that none of my youthful impetuous, ill advised, stupid pranks, etc., ever resulted in irreversible harm to me or my family, or others. In hindsight, that fortuitous result was admittedly more attributable to good luck than anything else though.
So as to the plight of these two, I can only say, “There but for the grace of God”....go any of us.
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Uh... they're Australian, not U.S. citizens. She apparently is a dual British/Australian citizen.
roving1
Well-known member
In the real actual world people can be called out for naive behavior AND receive an unfair unjust punishment. We can be angry at them and hope they don't suffer the worst fate. We can point out why this was a bad decision without it being gleeful. Cool straw man argument though.
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AbleGuy
Officious Intermeddler
Your’s is a very thoughtful comment about rational anger, and is well put and heartening to read.
jadmt
ignore button user
yes I know. both allies.
Hopefully this means good news for them:
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/na...s/news-story/4254b7ac43ee88d1caa7a2443dd76c86
"A former Adelaide woman will be returned to Iran from the US after being sentenced to time already served for her role in breaching sanctions against the Gulf country, months after Tehran — which has imprisoned three Australians — suggested she could be part of a prisoner swap.
Iranian national Negar Ghodskani, 40, was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment for fraud by a US Federal Court judge in Minnesota on Wednesday morning.
The sentence amounts to time she has spent in custody in Australia, on a US arrest warrant, and in the US.
It also triggers her removal from the US to Iran where her husband and young son have returned after losing their rights to Australian residency.
It was unclear what impact Ms Ghodskani’s release would have on the plight of three Australians — University of Melbourne academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert and travel bloggers Jolie King and Mark Firkin — who remain in detention in Iran.
Just hours after the sentence was handed down, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for the “immediate release” of dual nationals — which includes Dr Moore-Gilbert and Ms King — during a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New York.
“We retain serious concerns about the detention of dual nationals in Tehran and we are looking forward to making progress on that,” Mr Johnson told Mr Rouhani.
The Australian government has also been lobbying Iran for the three Australians to be released.
In April, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, raised the prospect of a prisoner swap, citing the case of Ms Ghodskani who was then in custody in Australia.
At the time, Dr Moore-Gilbert had already spent seven months in detention in Iran.
There have been reports that Ms King — arrested with her partner shortly before Ms Ghodskani was extradited from Australia in July — was told that she could be used in a prisoner swap.
Ms Ghodskani spent more than two years in detention in Australia before being extradited to the US to face charges over a scheme to evade sanctions placed on Iran, which saw a Malaysian front company buy electrical components from the US and smuggle them to Iran.
She struck a plea deal and secured an order to be deported to Iran immediately after serving any sentence, which saw several more serious charges dropped in exchange for her pleading guilty to one count of fraud.
Prosecutors had told a Federal Court in Minnesota that a prison sentence of between three years and 10 months and four years and nine months would be appropriate.
But her lawyer called for her to be sentenced to 27 months imprisonment — which has already been served in Australia and the US.
Her husband, Ali Lotfisetan, who returned to Iran after losing his Australian residency status, wrote to the court asking for her to be returned to him and their son, who was born while Ms Ghodskani was in custody in Australia.
“My wife … is one (of) the victims of circumstance,” Mr Lotfisetan, who with his wife owned a Jim’s Cleaning franchise in Adelaide, said in a letter to the judge hearing the case.
“She worked in a country with full sanctions which everyone tries to avoid. She never dreamt she would be arrested by the United States.
“She is a very kind and nice person. I need her and (our son) Nickan needs her.”"
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/na...s/news-story/4254b7ac43ee88d1caa7a2443dd76c86
"A former Adelaide woman will be returned to Iran from the US after being sentenced to time already served for her role in breaching sanctions against the Gulf country, months after Tehran — which has imprisoned three Australians — suggested she could be part of a prisoner swap.
Iranian national Negar Ghodskani, 40, was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment for fraud by a US Federal Court judge in Minnesota on Wednesday morning.
The sentence amounts to time she has spent in custody in Australia, on a US arrest warrant, and in the US.
It also triggers her removal from the US to Iran where her husband and young son have returned after losing their rights to Australian residency.
It was unclear what impact Ms Ghodskani’s release would have on the plight of three Australians — University of Melbourne academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert and travel bloggers Jolie King and Mark Firkin — who remain in detention in Iran.
Just hours after the sentence was handed down, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for the “immediate release” of dual nationals — which includes Dr Moore-Gilbert and Ms King — during a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New York.
“We retain serious concerns about the detention of dual nationals in Tehran and we are looking forward to making progress on that,” Mr Johnson told Mr Rouhani.
The Australian government has also been lobbying Iran for the three Australians to be released.
In April, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, raised the prospect of a prisoner swap, citing the case of Ms Ghodskani who was then in custody in Australia.
At the time, Dr Moore-Gilbert had already spent seven months in detention in Iran.
There have been reports that Ms King — arrested with her partner shortly before Ms Ghodskani was extradited from Australia in July — was told that she could be used in a prisoner swap.
Ms Ghodskani spent more than two years in detention in Australia before being extradited to the US to face charges over a scheme to evade sanctions placed on Iran, which saw a Malaysian front company buy electrical components from the US and smuggle them to Iran.
She struck a plea deal and secured an order to be deported to Iran immediately after serving any sentence, which saw several more serious charges dropped in exchange for her pleading guilty to one count of fraud.
Prosecutors had told a Federal Court in Minnesota that a prison sentence of between three years and 10 months and four years and nine months would be appropriate.
But her lawyer called for her to be sentenced to 27 months imprisonment — which has already been served in Australia and the US.
Her husband, Ali Lotfisetan, who returned to Iran after losing his Australian residency status, wrote to the court asking for her to be returned to him and their son, who was born while Ms Ghodskani was in custody in Australia.
“My wife … is one (of) the victims of circumstance,” Mr Lotfisetan, who with his wife owned a Jim’s Cleaning franchise in Adelaide, said in a letter to the judge hearing the case.
“She worked in a country with full sanctions which everyone tries to avoid. She never dreamt she would be arrested by the United States.
“She is a very kind and nice person. I need her and (our son) Nickan needs her.”"
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