Chief Justice of Tehran: No Discussion on the Release of Nazanin Zaghari

The Chief Justice of Tehran stated that Nazanin Zaghari, an Iranian-British citizen, is currently serving her sentence and there has been no discussion regarding her release. Gholamhossein Esmaeili, the Chief Justice of Tehran Province, told Mehr News Agency on Friday, January 12, that Zaghari's other case is still open and 'judges are reviewing it.' According to the Chief Justice, the date for Nazanin Zaghari's next hearing has not yet been set. Zaghari was accused by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of collaborating with institutions opposed to the Islamic Republic and participating in 'soft overthrow' activities, and she was sentenced to five years in prison. She was arrested by the IRGC on April 3, 2016, while trying to leave Iran. UN legal experts previously called for Zaghari's release, stating: 'In our view, Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been arbitrarily deprived of her liberty, and her right to a fair trial in an impartial and independent court has been violated.' In December of this year, Richard Ratcliffe, Zaghari's husband, announced that another case had been opened against her on charges of 'propaganda against the regime.' This charge arose after comments made by Boris Johnson, the UK Foreign Secretary, regarding Zaghari. Johnson had told Members of Parliament that Zaghari traveled to Iran to teach journalism, while the Thomson Reuters Foundation, for which she worked, stated she went to Iran for a holiday. However, a day before Zaghari's court hearing on December 10, Boris Johnson traveled to Tehran, and the court did not convene as scheduled. Recently, Richard Ratcliffe told British media that there were signs of Zaghari's early release, and the Deputy Prosecutor met with him at the end of December. Zaghari's lawyer also mentioned that in front of her, the phrase 'eligible for early release' was seen in the judiciary's information bank. However, at that time, the Chief Justice of Tehran stated that reports from Western media were not confirmed by the judiciary. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson followed up on Zaghari's case during a meeting with Mohammad Javad Zarif, his Iranian counterpart, who was in Brussels for talks on the JCPOA. Johnson tweeted that he was following up on the status of dual nationality Iranian cases and how Iranian officials were treating BBC Persian staff. Additionally, Jack Straw, the former UK Foreign Secretary, who visited Iran for a three-day security conference, announced that he also discussed Zaghari's case with Iranian officials. In response to Straw's comments, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesman, stated that the British delegation had not discussed anything with the judiciary and 'the judiciary has made no decisions.'