Head of the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said that the Iranian foreign ministry has so far summoned the Australian ambassador to Tehran four times and warned him about the necessity of not handing Negar Ghodskani over to the US government.
“The Australian government as a so-called defender of human rights and women rights must refrain from arresting this pregnant woman, as her arrest is a truly inhumane and immoral act,” he said.
Boroujerdi went on to assure Australia that Ms. Ghodskani will remain in Australia until the results have been determined so the government does not need to have any concerns.
He also urged Iranian foreign ministry to insist on its position until the release of Ghodskani.
Following Trump administration’s hostile policies toward the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iranian nationals, for the first time an Iranian woman was arrested by the Australian government upon an extraction request by the United States on charges of violating US trade laws.
She has been imprisoned since June 16, 2017 while being pregnant, and is currently being kept in unfavorable prison environment and suffering from malnourishment.
The Australian authorities have ignored Iran’s repeated requests for improving the conditions of Ghodskani’s detainment, and recently a court in charge of her case has rejected a request for her release on bail.
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