Family of Two Detained Iranian-British Citizens Requests Action from UK Foreign Office

Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari and Kamran Foroughi, the son of Kamal Foroughi, have urged the UK government to intensify its efforts and pressure for the release of their relatives. In a petition sent to the UK Foreign Office on November 3, they requested that conditions for the safe release and return of their family members to the UK be established. Mr. Ratcliffe plans to present his petition, accompanied by 72,000 signatures he has collected, to Boris Johnson. Both he and Mr. Foroughi will be present during the submission of this petition. This action represents the latest effort by the families of these two Iranian-British citizens for the release of Kamal Foroughi and Nazanin Zaghari. On October 14, Mr. Ratcliffe had also urged the UK government to increase efforts for his wife's release. Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, who worked at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was sentenced to five years in prison last September on charges of attempting to 'overthrow' the government. Kamal Foroughi, 77, has been detained since May 2011 and was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of 'espionage.' For a while, there was little information about Mr. Foroughi's detention and case. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, called for the immediate release of these two dual nationals and Baqer Namazi, an 80-year-old Iranian-American who is also imprisoned, in mid-October. Mr. Shaheed expressed concern about the health status of these three individuals. The Islamic Republic does not recognize dual citizenship. Iranian judicial officials have so far rejected requests for the release of dual nationals, and some Iranian officials have accused them of 'infiltration' and involvement in 'projects' aimed at 'overthrowing' the Iranian government. 'Infiltration' is a term frequently warned against by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. These accusations have been repeatedly denied by the families of the detainees and several Western officials who have detained citizens. Although a group of Iranian-Americans were released during the implementation of the nuclear agreement, several other dual nationals have been detained in Iran since then. In this context, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced the release of Homa Hoodfar, a Canadian-Iranian professor, and reiterated warnings from the Minister of Intelligence about making 'espionage' accusations against individuals. A member of parliament referred to Siamak and Baqer Namazi as 'the American general in the field of infiltration.'