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PA

British-Iranian dual citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe back in Iran court on 'propaganda' charges

Zaghari-Ratcliffe finished serving a five-year sentence last week.

British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appeared in a Tehran court today to face new charges of “propaganda against the system”, a week after she finished serving a five-year sentence, her lawyer said.

The hearing has dashed hopes of family and supporters for a swift release of the 42-year-old, in a case that has heightened diplomatic tensions between London and Tehran.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it was “unacceptable that Iran has chosen to continue a second wholly arbitrary case”.

According to her lawyer, Hojjat Kermani, she is now being prosecuted for “propaganda against the system for having participated in a rally in front of the Iranian embassy in London” in 2009.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe spoke in court where she denied all charges, according to the Free Nazanin support campaign.

“Nazanin… pointed out that all the accusations and evidence put forward had been part of her trial in 2016,” the group said.

“She had already been tried and convicted on this evidence.”

Kermani told AFP that “the hearing took place in a very calm and good atmosphere, in the presence of my client”.

Under Iranian law, the court has seven working days to issue a judgement, although delays are also common.

However, with the country about to celebrate the Iranian new year, it means a ruling might not be released until 30 March.

Britain demanded the mother-of-one be allowed to fly home immediately.

“She must be allowed to return to her family in the UK without delay,” Raab said. “We continue to do all we can to support her.”

Kermani said that “given the evidence presented by the defence and the legal process, and the fact that my client has also served her previous sentence, I hope that she will be acquitted”.

But the support committee is less optimistic. “At present, Nazanin’s future remains uncertain, and her detention effectively open-ended,” it said.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained while on holiday in 2016 and convicted of plotting to overthrow the regime in Tehran — accusations she strenuously denied.

She was working at the time as a project manager for Thomson Reuters Foundation, the media organisation’s philanthropic wing.

She has been under house arrest for months and had her ankle tag removed, giving her more freedom of movement and allowing her to visit relatives in Tehran.

She completed her sentence on 7 March.

A day later, her husband Richard and their six-year-old daughter Gabriella held a vigil outside the Iranian embassy in central London demanding she be allowed home.

He tried to deliver an Amnesty International petition signed by 160,000 supporters calling for his wife’s release, but was turned away.

Earlier this month, Richard Ratcliffe told the BBC her detention has “the potential to drag on and on”.

Media in both the UK and Iran and Richard Ratcliffe have drawn a possible link between Nazanin’s detention and a British debt dating back more than 40 years.

The British government has previously admitted it owes Iran up to £300 million ($390 million), but both countries have denied any link with the Zaghari-Ratcliffe case.

She has been temporarily released from Tehran’s Evin prison and has been under house arrest since the spring due to the coronavirus outbreak.

For four years, however, at Evin she spent time in solitary confinement in windowless cells, declared hunger strikes and had medical treatment withheld.

While in prison, she suffered from lack of hygiene and even contemplated suicide, according to her husband.

Iranian authorities have consistently denied that Zaghari-Ratcliffe was mistreated.

On Friday, campaign group Redress handed a report to Raab which it said “confirms the severity of the ill-treatment that Nazanin has suffered”.

The legal campaigners said that it “considers that Iran’s treatment of Nazanin constitutes torture.”

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    Mute Kevin50
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    Mar 14th 2021, 2:12 PM

    This is cruel … this woman should walk into the British embassy and remain and refuse to leave there until they bring her home

    151
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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Mar 14th 2021, 2:26 PM

    @Kevin50: yes she should. And let’s hope it would work out better for her than it did for Julian Assange

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    Mute Tá mé dom
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    Mar 15th 2021, 2:43 AM

    @Kevin50: on Bobby Sands Street

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    Mute Anita OGalligan
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    Mar 14th 2021, 2:30 PM

    Outrageous treatment of Zahari in Iran. The British government should put pressure on Iran to release Zahari. It appears that so far the pressure has not been strong enough.
    The damage on Zahari/ Ratcliffe family especially their little girl will be long lasting as well as mentally damaging. So sad.

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    Mute Patrick Coffey
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    Mar 14th 2021, 1:50 PM

    Thank you Boris

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    Mute TommyC
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    Mar 14th 2021, 2:06 PM

    Wow. The comments are actually open

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    Mute Padraic O Sullivan
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    Mar 14th 2021, 2:37 PM

    They found 30 billion under the couch for track and trace alright though.
    Just like we found 3 billion for the
    Burj Bam Hospital

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    Mute Honeybee
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    Mar 14th 2021, 2:42 PM

    If she is not released immediately then London should close the Iranian embassy , who would want to deal with such an arrogant, insulting regime.

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    Mute Padraic O Sullivan
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    Mar 14th 2021, 2:50 PM

    @Honeybee: which one is the arrogant, insulting regime.

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    Mute Jane Alford
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    Mar 14th 2021, 3:14 PM

    She’s a hostage. She’s done nothing wrong, she’s just being held until Britain gives Iran £400m. They will continue to charge her with spurious wrongdoing until she dies.

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    Mute Patricia O'Reilly
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    Mar 14th 2021, 3:59 PM

    Gosh Iran are so afraid of.women. They are hilarious so predictable .

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    Mute Contrary Mary
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    Mar 14th 2021, 6:37 PM

    @Patricia O’Reilly: This one worked for Reuters and she has a history of protesting a government that watches those who do very closely. That’s what frightened them. Makes no difference the gender.

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    Mute Orla Cosgrave
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    Mar 14th 2021, 6:59 PM

    The British government should send a private jet to bring her back to Britain. This is the least Boris Johnston could do as she is the reason she ended up in jail when he was Foreign Secretary.

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    Mute Rosemary Flowers
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    Mar 14th 2021, 6:37 PM

    She was on the cusp of being freed 3+ years ago, that was until the UK’s PM opened his mouth and put his foot in it by stating wrongly that she was in Iran for work. If the roles were reversed and her husband was the one in jail, the UK would have done it’s job and got him home. She’s a foreigner as far as they’re concerned and they don’t care much for foreigner’s, especially those from the Middle East. As far as the UK government is concerned she’s expendable, except on election years. Unless the Iranian government decide to be merciful during Eid, she could end her days in Iran.

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