Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: British-Iranian woman charged again after serving sentence

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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Richard and their daughter Gabriella in front of the Iranian Embassy in London

Photo: FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA / EPA

Only last Sunday was Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe removed her ankle cuffs.

This ended the five-year prison sentence to which the Iranian judiciary sentenced the British-Iranian dual nationality in 2016.

She had spent four years in prison and several months of that in solitary confinement before she was allowed to spend the final year of house arrest with her parents because of the corona pandemic.

But instead of freedom and the long-awaited return to Great Britain - where she lives with her husband and six-year-old daughter Gabriella - Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was faced with a new charge.

British MP Tulip Siddiq said she was accused of propaganda against Iran.

On this Sunday, the 42-year-old had to appear before a judge in Tehran.

more on the subject

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• British helper: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe temporarily released

• Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh: The symbolic figure of freedom A guest contribution by Omid Nouripour

The trial was in a good and calm atmosphere, said Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's lawyer after the hearing.

He assumes that the verdict will fall within a week and that his client will be acquitted.

Her husband Richard Ratcliffe, who is vehemently campaigning for her release from Great Britain, fears in the worst case, another year in prison.

Dual nationality as leverage in negotiations with London?

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was visiting her parents in Iran with her daughter in 2016 when she was arrested.

Among other things, she was accused of espionage and of planning an attempted coup against the Regine in Tehran.

Although the British woman vehemently denied all charges against her, she was sentenced to five years in prison by a revolutionary court.

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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her daughter Gabriella prior to their arrest in 2016

Photo: AFP / FREE NAZANIN CAMPAIGN

The new allegations also relate to the time before her arrest in Iran.

Among other things, she is said to have taken part in a demonstration in front of the Iranian embassy in London and given an interview to the BBC.

It is unclear why the new allegations were only negotiated now and not in the 2016 process.

The case has caused a stir internationally and strains relations between Great Britain and Iran.

Human rights groups criticize that dual nationals like Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe are also used by Iran as bargaining chips.

Supporters assume that the 42-year-old Iran is serving as leverage in the legal dispute over the repayment of 400 million pounds that Great Britain owes Tehran.

Tehran denies that.

Last week, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson campaigned for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to leave the country.

In a telephone conversation with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, he called the continued detention "absolutely unacceptable".

Iran then announced that Johnson had emphasized the need to repay the country's debt to Iran in the phone call.

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