This summer, you could follow the influential couple Christopher “Topher” Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray on a long round trip under the name “Expedition Earth”. The couple, originally from New Zealand, aimed to travel through 90 countries by Jeep.
Influencers filmed the journey and shared daily videos and Instagram posts of the adventure. However, it stopped when they were about to cross the border from Turkey to Iran in June.
Shortly after, the couple disappeared from social networks. The “The Expedition Earth” GPS tracker, which followers could use to track their journey, was also cut, with the following message: “The tracker has been temporarily removed for the safety of the team in this region.”
A short time later it became known, through another confirmation The Guardianthat the couple had been detained in Iran.
Now, four months later, they have been allowed to leave the country again, writes Storavisa.
– Insecurity
In the months following their imprisonment, the couple’s social media followers, human rights experts and Iranian specialists became increasingly concerned about the couple’s well-being.
On Wednesday morning, the release was confirmed by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others.
Criticized by Amnesty: – Very serious
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern could also confirm that authorities had been working for months to get the couple out of Iran.
– I’m glad they’re safe, she continued.
The prime minister also added that the couple’s arrest did not dampen New Zealand’s criticism of the Iranian regime and the violence of the security forces against protesters.
– Quite nervous
Richwhite and Thackwray are considered celebrities in New Zealand. “Expedition Earth” gained nearly 300,000 followers, and the couple’s wedding earlier this year was followed by many of the largest newspapers in the country, according to The Guardian.
Richwhite is the son of one of the richest men in the country, David Richwhite.
When the couple crossed the border into Iran in June, Thackwray and Richwhite were arrested and interrogated by immigration officers for bringing a vehicle into the country. In one video, they shared that they were put in the back seat of a car on their way to a meeting.
– We just got out of a 45-minute meeting with the customs chief in the neighboring town. The meeting was about who we were and why we came to Iran in a sanctioned vehicle, Richwhite said in a video shared on Instagram, adding:
Now they are bored
– We’re just waiting to hear the answer, actually. I am quite nervous.
The next day they said they were on their way to the police station and a short time later they disappeared from all social media platforms.
The couple has yet to comment on the release.
