Draft:Arrest of Topher Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray

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  • Comment: Needs severe copyediting, as the text is barely comprehensible. Greenman (talk) 21:30, 26 April 2024 (UTC)

@Greenman: Thank you for notice. ForsythiaJo Great idea. They are both notable. Better merge article. Thank you. Claggy (talk) 05:19, 27 April 2024 (UTC)

In July 2023, New Zealand social media influencers Topher Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray were arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) while visiting the country as tourists. They were detained in Iran for four months before being released.[1][2][3]

Background and arrests[edit]

Richwhite and Thrackwray married in early 2022 on the Great Mercury Island. Following their marriage, the two planned to travel to multiple countries, beginning in Europe and later going on to the Arabian Desert.[4][5] In July 2023, after traveling to Iran, the couple were detained and questioned by immigration officers for bringing a sanctioned vehicle into the country. Shortly thereafter, the two stopped updating their social media accounts, including their Instagram page with nearly 300,000 followers.[6][7][8] Their final post was of an Iranian flag: “Ready for Iran,” the caption says.[9][10][11]

Released[edit]

In November 2023, Richwhite and Thrackwray were allowed to leave Iran.[12][13][14] After their release, they issued a statement:

"We are safe and well, however we would ask for privacy for ourselves and our families over the coming days while we collect our bearings and enjoy being reunited with our families."[15][16][17]

Reactions[edit]

Following the couple's detainment, foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta asked New Zealand travellers to leave Iran and to avoid travel there, saying that:

“due to the potential for violent civil unrest, the risk of arrest or detention and the volatile security situation in the region, the risk to safety in Iran is significant.”[18][19][20]

Golriz Gahraman, an Iranian-born representative of the Green Party in the New Zealand Parliament, defended the protesters in a meeting with the ambassador of the Islamic Republic.[21][22][23]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Iran allows detained New Zealand social media influencers to leave". CNN. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  2. ^ Sydney, Bernard Lagan (26 April 2024). "Iran releases New Zealand travel bloggers after four months in captivity". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  3. ^ McClure, Tess (26 October 2022). "New Zealand influencers detained in Iran 'extremely relieved' to be home". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Spy: A baby, new business and 'bunker-style structure' after Kiwi couple detained in Iran". NZ Herald. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Kiwis missing in Iran for months now safe and well". Otago Daily Times Online News. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  6. ^ "New Zealand Instagram couple 'relieved' after leaving Iran". BBC. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Getting a free ride through life on social media". Otago Daily Times Online News. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  8. ^ "A New Zealand influencer couple detained in Iran for nearly 4 months was finally allowed to leave the country". Yahoo News. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  9. ^ MacDiarmid, Campbell (26 October 2022). "Travel influencers who tried to blog in Iranian restricted zone released from jail". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  10. ^ Leighton, Mara (26 October 2022). "A New Zealand influencer couple detained in Iran for nearly 4 months was finally allowed to leave the country". Business Insider Africa. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Incredible twist four months after NZ couple vanish on trip: 'Strange'". Yahoo News. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Kiwi rich lister's son and wife leave Iran 'safe and well' after being detained for months – MFAT". Newshub. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  13. ^ "New Zealand social media influencers detained in Iran finally allowed to leave". The Independent. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  14. ^ "New Zealand couple held in Iran allowed to leave, PM Ardern says". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  15. ^ "NZ influencer couple missing in Iran for four months, now released". NZ Herald. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  16. ^ "New Zealand influencers relieved after being released from detention in Iran". Al Arabiya. 27 October 2022.
  17. ^ "New Zealand travel blogger couple leave Iran 'safe and well' after months of silence". gulfnews.com. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  18. ^ McClure, Tess (25 October 2022). "New Zealand couple detained in Iran for months leave the country". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  19. ^ "You never get out: Memories of two psychiatric hospitals". Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 39 (3). RNZ: 296–297. 26 October 2022. doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12394. ISSN 1326-0200.
  20. ^ "New Zealand Travel Bloggers Allowed to Leave Iran". Voice of America. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  21. ^ "MPs grill Iran's ambassador on formerly detained Kiwis, protests". 1News. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  22. ^ "MPs confront Iran's Ambassador to New Zealand over protest crackdowns". RNZ. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  23. ^ "'Say sorry': Act stonewalls unified message against Iran unless Green MP apologises". NZ Herald. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.


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