Iran: British woman Zaghari-Ratcliffe says she had to sign a false confession

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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after meeting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Government House in London

Photo: Victoria Jones / dpa

British woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was held in Iran for years.

She has been back in Great Britain for a good two months – and is now reporting on some of the circumstances of her release.

She is said to have been forced to sign a "false confession" in front of a British government witness before she was allowed to leave Iran.

The 43-year-old said in an interview with the BBC.

The act, which was filmed by Iranian officials, was "dehumanizing," said Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has Iranian citizenship alongside British citizenship.

She expects Tehran to use the forced confession against her in the future.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards took her to the airport without giving her the opportunity to see her parents.

The Iranians also told her Britain had paid off a historic £400m debt dating back to the 1970s, Zaghari-Ratcliffe said.

After almost six years in prison or house arrest, the 43-year-old was released in mid-March and was allowed to leave Iran.

Her case had caused a dispute between Tehran and London for years.

In 2016, Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who worked at the Thomson Reuters Journalists Foundation, was arrested after visiting her parents in southern Iran.

Espionage accusation led to conviction

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was accused, among other things, of espionage.

She is said to have tried to overthrow the regime in Iran with a foreign network, according to the allegation.

Although the Brit vehemently denied all charges against herself, she was convicted by a revolutionary court.

Human rights groups have criticized the fact that dual nationals like Zaghari-Ratcliffe are also used as bargaining chips by Iran.

Supporters believed the British citizen was being used as a bargaining chip in Iran's legal battle to repay £400m Britain owes the country.

Tehran denies that.

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