Thread by @FreeKylieMG

Hi Twitter, my name is Jessie Moritz. I’m another of Kylie Moore-Gilbert’s colleagues and friends involved in running this campaign. I’m new-ish to Twitter, but you can find my alter-ego over here: @JessieMoritz 1/

When I first met Kylie, I was so excited to finally meet somebody else in Australia who worked on #Bahrain. We already had many mutual connections, including Bahrainis who for years had been telling me about the smart, kind, and humble Aussie researcher Kylie from #Melbourne 2/

I graduated in the same year as Kylie – we were both freshly minted PhDs, eager to put our stamp on the world. We connected over our curiosity and love of learning about foreign cultures 3/

In 2018, we collaborated on a grant to bring Arab comedians to Oz. What better way to promote cross-cultural communication than through laughter? We didn’t get the grant (such is life) but discussed other projects we could work on, once she returned from her trip to Iran 4/

We are not ivory tower academics – we are boots on the ground researchers, and we care about the people in the regions we work on. This is why what has happened to Kylie is so heartbreaking. 5/

Kylie’s case demonstrates the importance of protection for Aussies detained overseas on baseless charges. In the last half decade #Iran has increasingly picked up tourists, researchers, businesspeople, and others, holding them as hostages until their home governments pay up. 6/

Globally, democracy is backsliding and authoritarianism is on the rise. The Australian gov’t, and esp @MarisePayne, must show that they can protect Aussie citizens in this context.

Show us what’s you’ve got, @MarisePayne and @dfat. Bring my friend home.

#KylieIsUs

7/7

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