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11/11/2005
Detained Britons released in Iran
A British couple have been released after being detained by Iranian authorities for 13 days.
The Iranian Navy seized Rupert and Linda Wise on October 28 as they sailed from their home in Dubai to the island of Abu Musa in the Gulf.
The couple, along with an Australian yachtsman, Paul Shulton, were taken to the Iranian port of Bander Abbas, where officials questioned them repeatedly.
The couple were eventually freed, following Foreign Office intervention. Mr Shulton was also released.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme, Mr Wise said that they did not know why they had been detained, although he said they initially believed the Iranians suspected that they were spies.
The island of Abu Musa is a disputed region, claimed by both Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Mr Wise said that they been denied consular access and were kept under armed guard throughout their detention. Their children in Dubai alerted the Foreign Office, after the couple were eventually allowed to contact them.
Mr Wise said that they had been treated well by their capturers and had not been physically abused, but he described the experience as “mental torture”.
The British Embassy in Tehran secured the couple’s release last Monday, following negotiations. However, as they were about to board a flight to Dubai last week, the couple, along with Mr Shulton, were re-arrested by the Iranian judiciary and held in a secret location in Tehran for further questioning.
The couple eventually flew back to their home in Dubai early on Friday morning.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the Today programme that the incident had been “distressing” for the Wises and their family. He said: “I am very glad that they have been released safely and without any charge by the Iranians.
“It took a good deal of work behind the scenes to achieve this result and I am just relieved that we have got there.”
Relations between Britain and Iran have been tense in recent months, due to concerns over the country’s nuclear programme.
Last month, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attracted criticism from around the world, including Prime Minister Tony Blair, after he said that Israel should be “wiped off the map”.
(KMcA/GB)
The Iranian Navy seized Rupert and Linda Wise on October 28 as they sailed from their home in Dubai to the island of Abu Musa in the Gulf.
The couple, along with an Australian yachtsman, Paul Shulton, were taken to the Iranian port of Bander Abbas, where officials questioned them repeatedly.
The couple were eventually freed, following Foreign Office intervention. Mr Shulton was also released.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme, Mr Wise said that they did not know why they had been detained, although he said they initially believed the Iranians suspected that they were spies.
The island of Abu Musa is a disputed region, claimed by both Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Mr Wise said that they been denied consular access and were kept under armed guard throughout their detention. Their children in Dubai alerted the Foreign Office, after the couple were eventually allowed to contact them.
Mr Wise said that they had been treated well by their capturers and had not been physically abused, but he described the experience as “mental torture”.
The British Embassy in Tehran secured the couple’s release last Monday, following negotiations. However, as they were about to board a flight to Dubai last week, the couple, along with Mr Shulton, were re-arrested by the Iranian judiciary and held in a secret location in Tehran for further questioning.
The couple eventually flew back to their home in Dubai early on Friday morning.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the Today programme that the incident had been “distressing” for the Wises and their family. He said: “I am very glad that they have been released safely and without any charge by the Iranians.
“It took a good deal of work behind the scenes to achieve this result and I am just relieved that we have got there.”
Relations between Britain and Iran have been tense in recent months, due to concerns over the country’s nuclear programme.
Last month, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attracted criticism from around the world, including Prime Minister Tony Blair, after he said that Israel should be “wiped off the map”.
(KMcA/GB)
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