Nazanin Zaghari, Iranian-British Citizen, Returns to Prison Again

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British citizen who had been on temporary leave after two and a half years in prison, returned to prison on Sunday, September 4. The Associated Press reported that Ms. Zaghari returned to prison while her family hoped for an extension of her leave. The Twitter page 'Free Nazanin' announced that her request for an extension had been denied. This page also published a photo showing the moment Nazanin Zaghari said goodbye to her four-year-old daughter, Gabriella. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was an employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, who was arrested at Tehran airport in 2016 and sentenced to five years in prison on charges of espionage, which she and her family deny. Her release from prison last Thursday was completely unexpected, and according to the Associated Press, she was able to meet with her family outside Tehran. Richard Ratcliffe, Ms. Zaghari's husband, wrote in an email to Agence France-Presse that Nazanin was very upset upon hearing the news of the denial of her leave request and, while crying, asked how she could be away from her child who needs her again. Mr. Ratcliffe also mentioned that their four-year-old daughter also started crying upon hearing the news. The German news agency reported that Nazanin Zaghari once again entrusted her daughter to her mother, and her father accompanied her to Evin prison. A day before her temporary release, the British Foreign Secretary stated that the issue of granting diplomatic protection to Nazanin Zaghari was under consideration. However, Jeremy Hunt clarified that no decision had yet been made. Richard Ratcliffe had previously stated that Nazanin Zaghari's imprisonment and release had become part of a political deal between Tehran and London. His reference was to the British debt to Iran dating back to before the 1979 revolution, related to the purchase of military equipment from London. Nazanin Zaghari's acquaintances say that one of the judicial officials told her that she would not be eligible for early release until the British government paid its debt to Iran. The Telegraph also published a report stating that the British government had expressed readiness to pay £400 million (equivalent to $527 million) to Iran in exchange for Nazanin Zaghari's release regarding an old debt. However, it remains unclear where the disputes between Tehran and London over this old debt have led.