Moore-Gilbert canvasses Iran prison ordeal

"There's a perception that, obviously, the regime is corrupt as hell," she told an Australian National University event in Canberra on Wednesday about Middle Eastern authoritarianism following the Arab Spring uprisings.

Dr Moore-Gilbert canvassed some of her experiences across two jails, including Iran's notorious Evin prison, before her release in November 2020.

"The corruption, moral corruption, financial corruption is so widespread, and the understanding and perception is so prevalent now in Iran, among all populations, even amongst some of the Revolutionary Guards themselves, the staunch defenders of the regime," she said.

"I had so many interesting discussions with many of them and ... corruption is a huge problem."