Comments from the Chief Justice of Kerman Regarding the Arrest of Nazanin Zaghari

In the latest statement regarding the arrest of Nazanin Zaghari, an Iranian-British citizen, the Chief Justice of Kerman says that this arrest is related to the case of 'designing' websites associated with the '88 unrest.' According to the IRNA news agency, Yadollah Mohammadi announced on Sunday, June 30, that the handling of Nazanin Zaghari's case is not within the jurisdiction of provincial judicial authorities because she has 'been active outside the country' and must be addressed in Tehran. He stated that 'necessary investigations' for this case have been conducted and 'documents and evidence' have also been collected. According to this judicial official from Kerman province, Ms. Zaghari was arrested in connection with the case involving the detention of several individuals accused of 'designing' websites related to the '88 unrest.' He added that 'some members of this gang were abroad, and among these defendants was Nazanin Zaghari, who was arrested at Tehran airport following a judicial request and sent to Kerman.' Islamic Republic officials refer to protests against the 2009 presidential election as 'unrest.' In mid-December 2013, the Kerman judiciary announced that 16 people in this city had been arrested on charges of designing websites for 'citizen journalist educational sites commissioned by Western news networks' and 'collaborating with foreign networks.' Kerman judicial officials accused these individuals of being the 'designers' of the 'Green Voice of Freedom' website and of 'implementing the plans and programs of BBC Persian in Iran.' Reports indicate that seven of these individuals were members of the 'Naranja' website, which operates in the field of information technology. Following the arrest of these individuals, the cyber forces of the IRGC in Kerman hacked nine websites, including 'Green Voice of Freedom,' 'Green Newspaper,' and 'Nowruz.' Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the judiciary, also referred to Ms. Zaghari's case as a 'security' case and reported that this case is 'in the preliminary investigation stage.' The IRGC in Kerman confirmed on Wednesday, June 26, the arrest of Nazanin Zaghari by this agency and the transfer of her case to Tehran, accusing this Iranian-British citizen of participating in 'regime change projects' and being 'one of the main ringleaders linked to foreigners.' On the same day, Richard Ratcliffe, Ms. Zaghari's husband, described these accusations as 'ridiculous and absurd' and characterized his wife's case as a 'political case.' Following the publication of these accusations, Reuters reiterated that Ms. Zaghari, professionally and as an employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, had no connection with Iran and does not have one. The report also emphasized that this foundation and Reuters operate independently of each other. Nazanin Zaghari, who has a British husband and is sometimes referred to by her full name Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, is 37 years old and has worked at the Thomson Reuters Foundation as a project manager since 2011. Ms. Zaghari began her public relations activities in 2004 with the International Red Cross in London and subsequently collaborated in the same capacity with the World Health Organization for three years. This is not the first time an Iranian with dual nationality has been arrested in Iran and accused of charges such as 'regime change' and 'espionage.' Meanwhile, Homa Hoodfar, a 65-year-old imprisoned professor at Concordia University in Canada, who holds Iranian, Canadian, and Irish citizenship, was arrested on June 7 after being summoned to the security prosecutor's office in Tehran, but the reason for her arrest is still unclear. More than 170 prominent humanities professors from various universities in Europe and the United States have issued a statement calling for her immediate release and permission for her to return to Canada.