Nazanin Zaghari: From Aid Work in Bam to Prison in Kerman

Nazanin Zaghari, an Iranian-British citizen who traveled to Iran with her infant daughter, was arrested last month while attempting to leave Iran and is currently in prison. The Thomson Reuters Foundation, in a statement provided to Radio Farda, announced that Zaghari has managed several of its projects for the past four years. The statement noted that the projects Zaghari was involved in were related to education and had no connection to Iran, and her trip to Tehran was to visit family. Richard Ratcliffe, Zaghari's husband, confirmed these statements in an interview with Radio Farda. Ratcliffe explained that his wife has been detained since April 4 and that they initially believed it was a mistake, waiting for a natural resolution. After thirty days of her being in solitary confinement and away from their child, he felt that the British Embassy in Tehran and the Foreign Office had not been able to do anything, leading him to take the matter to the media. He mentioned that he had not been in contact with his wife since her arrest, and the last time they spoke was the day before she left Iran for the UK. Zaghari had gone to Iran for about two weeks for the Nowruz holiday, trying to visit her family, as it was difficult for them to obtain visas to come to the UK. Ratcliffe expressed confusion over why she was transferred to Kerman, stating that she had not worked in Iran for years and her current work with the Thomson Reuters Foundation had no connection to the country. The only link he mentioned was her previous work with the Red Cross during the Bam earthquake over a decade ago. He described her role at the foundation as a project manager focused on charitable activities worldwide, particularly in education and media development, without being a trainer or journalist herself. Ratcliffe has been in contact with Iranian authorities through the British Embassy and the Foreign Office but has not received any information regarding his wife's whereabouts or the charges against her.