Jolie King, a dual British-Australian citizen, and Australian Mark Firkin have been detained in iran. Photo / News.com.au
Jolie King, a dual British-Australian citizen, and Australian Mark Firkin have been detained in iran. Photo / News.com.au
An Australian couple detained in a notorious prison in Iran, reportedly for flying a drone, have been identified as travel bloggers from Perth.
Jolie King and Mark Firkin are detained in Evin jail in the Iranian capital of Tehran, the federal government has confirmed.
"Our families hope to see Mark and Jolie safely home as soon as possible," their families said in a statement today, issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
"We have no further comment to make at this stage and ask that the media respects our privacy at this difficult time."
They were reportedly arrested for flying a drone without a licence, according to Persian-language broadcaster Manato TV on Twitter.
The Perth couple are bloggers who have travelled the world. Photo / YouTube
The UK Times yesterday revealed the young British-Australian woman and her Australian partner were arrested 10 weeks ago.
King and Firkin have frequently used a drone in the photos and videos published of their travels through Australia, Asia and the Middle East.
King and Firkin run a YouTube channel called The Way Overland however their last video was posted more than 11 weeks ago, in June this year, about driving through Pakistan.
Their last Instagram update on their shared T.W.O account was posted on June 26.
"Apart from the massive landscape, countless horses, and a few screaming marmots we felt pretty isolated," they said from their camp spot in Kyrgyzstan.
"The warm hospitality we received in Pakistan continued to deliver though."
Concerned friends posted in recent weeks asking if the couple was okay.
"GUYS WHERE ARE YOU ITS BEEN A MONTH - R U OKAY???," wrote one follower.
Another said: "You guys ok? It's been a while!"
Their comments were met with no response except from someone who posted early Thursday morning with the news.
The pair quit their jobs left Perth in July 2017 in a Toyota LandCruiser bound for the UK, planning to travel for two years driving across 36 countries.
"Our biggest motivation behind making the vlogs is to hopefully inspire anyone wanting to travel, and also try to break the stigma around travelling to countries which get a bad wrap (sic) in the media," they said in a post on crowd-funding platform Patreon.
Another British-Australian woman, an academic lecturing at a university in Australia who studied at Cambridge University, has also been detained in Evin jail.
DFAT reviewed its travel advice for Iran on Monday, adding additional information to the local travel and safety and security sections of its Smart Traveller website.
However the advice level today remains at "reconsider your need to travel".
Some parts of Iran β including border areas with Afghanistan and Iraq β are considered very high risk for travellers and considered under the "do not travel" advice level.
The website further states that Iran does not recognise dual nationality β such as King's.
"If you're a dual Australian/Iranian national, it is highly unlikely the Australian Government would be allowed to assist if you're arrested or detained," it reads.
