Britain Again Calls for the Release of Nazanin Zaghari

The Prime Minister of Britain expressed concern over the continued detention of Nazanin Zaghari, an employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, during a meeting with the President of Iran on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. According to a report by the Associated Press on Wednesday, October 4, British officials stated that Theresa May directly shared her concerns regarding this issue with Hassan Rouhani. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British citizen who traveled to Iran with her young daughter, was arrested in April 2016. Iranian authorities have accused her of attempting to overthrow the Islamic Republic, a charge she has denied. The report states that Jeremy Hunt, the British Foreign Secretary, also reiterated on Wednesday his request for Iranian officials to release Ms. Zaghari as soon as possible. He stated, 'I once again urgently called for the swift release of Nazanin. She deserves to be with her family and return home.' Many world leaders are present at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Hassan Rouhani is also holding meetings with leaders of various countries on the sidelines of this assembly. Prior to Mr. Rouhani's meeting with the British Prime Minister, it was reported that Ms. Theresa May would express her serious concerns about the continued detention of Nazanin Zaghari and would call for her release based on humanitarian principles. A week prior to this, the British Foreign Office had advised dual Iranian-British citizens to avoid traveling to Iran, as London has limited ability to secure their release if they are arrested. The ministry stated, 'The Iranian government does not recognize dual nationality. Therefore, if a dual national is detained, our ability to support them will be severely limited.' Abbas Adalat, a professor of mathematics and computer science at Imperial College London, is another Iranian-British citizen who has been imprisoned in Iran. He was arrested in early May this year at the home of a relative while traveling to Tehran for a workshop and was transferred to Evin Prison. Another case is Kamal Foroughi, who was arrested by Iranian security forces about seven years ago and remains in prison. He was tried on charges of espionage and sentenced to eight years in prison.