Family of Iranian-British Citizen: Nazanin Zaghari Has Been Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

The family of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe announced that this Iranian-British citizen has been sentenced to five years in prison by the Revolutionary Court. They stated that the charges against her are unknown. According to Reuters, her family announced in a statement on Friday, September 9, that 'Nazanin was sentenced to five years in prison by Judge Salavati on September 6 (September 16).' They added, 'Nazanin confirmed this sentence in a phone call with her husband today (September 9). She is expected to serve her sentence in Evin Prison.' Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who traveled to Iran with her young child, was arrested at Tehran Airport on April 15 while attempting to leave Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which detained her, labeled her as a 'subversive.' The official charges against this Iranian-British citizen have not yet been announced. Richard Ratcliffe, her husband, stated in the Zaghari family’s announcement: 'A sentence with unknown charges is still ridiculous. Essentially, it is a punishment without committing a crime.' Zaghari worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which is a charitable and independent organization from Reuters. This foundation and her husband have denied the IRGC's accusations against her. At 37 years old, she first appeared in court on July 11. Zaghari has been separated from her two-year-old daughter Gabriella, who is currently under the care of her grandparents. In recent months, the Iranian judiciary and the IRGC have arrested several Iranian citizens with dual American, British, Canadian, and French citizenship on various charges, including espionage or collaboration with hostile governments. Monika Villa, the head of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, strongly condemned the ruling against Nazanin Zaghari and called for her release.