New Zealand couple disappeared in Iran for four months, left the country “unharmed”

It was their effect Lost For four months after their arrival Iran. Two travel bloggers from New Zealand Wellington announced on Wednesday that he had finally left the country safely after secret talks between the two governments. Bridget Thakoray and her husband, Topher Richwaite, the son of one of the richest men in the archipelago, arrived in Iran from Turkey in early July.

Soon the newlyweds fell silent on the social networks that they used to feed pictures of their travels. For months, 30,000 or so fans, increasingly concerned about them, sent messages that went unheeded. At the same time, the New Zealand government preferred to remain silent about them.

“Hostage Diplomacy”

And the island state’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced, on Wednesday, that the government had “worked very hard” during this period to “ensure (the departure) is completely safe” for the couple who went through a “difficult period”. The conditions of their residence in the Islamic Republic remain unclear. Iranian authorities have claimed that the couple have not been detained or arrested and that the New Zealand government is careful not to hint at any families.

Westerners are frequently arrested by the Iranian government. Several testimonies were issued in exchange for government concessions on ongoing sensitive issues, with Tehran accused of engaging in “hostage diplomacy”. Most countries advise their nationals not to travel to Iran. Christopher Richwaite, in his 30s and the son of one of New Zealand’s richest bankers, traveled there with his friends before the couple began their world tour. His wife Bridget, who is in her twenties, set up a fashion website in 2017, a year before he started traveling.

“there is something wrong”

Bloggers have traveled around the planet in a 4×4 jeep. In a video posted in July, which was later removed from social media, Christopher Richwaite explained that they were stopped at the Iranian border, where their car was checked. He said he was instructed on how to dress and behave. One of their fans, Chris Luce, a retired teacher living in Canada, said the couple’s GPS tracker stayed at the same location for several days. “They don’t stay in one place, in the middle of nowhere, for long,” Chris Luce said. “Since they share photos and videos a lot, it was clear to me that something was wrong.”

Jacinda Ardern did not explain the nature of the negotiations but insisted she was not shy about criticism Bloody repression in Iran Demonstrations, over a period of more than a month, have killed at least 141 people, including children, according to a report by the Iranian Human Rights Organization (IHR), an Oslo-based NGO.

This disappearance echoes Iran’s detention, for several months in 2019, of two British-Australian bloggers, particularly those suspected of spying. On the day of their release, Tehran announced the return to the country of an Iranian student held in Australia for more than a year. The latter, Reza Dehbashi, a PhD student at the University of Queensland near Brisbane, was arrested in Australia for “attempting to purchase advanced US military equipment from Dubai and transfer it to Iran,” in violation of sanctions. Americans.

The New Zealand government has maintained diplomatic relations with Iran and has had an embassy in Tehran since 1975. Iran has repeatedly accused outside powers of fueling the protests. Tehran announced in late September the arrest of nine foreigners, including from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands.