Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Tried in Revolutionary Court Presided by Judge Salavati

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband, a British-Iranian citizen imprisoned in Iran, stated that she was tried for the first time on Monday, July 11, in the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati. According to the Associated Press, Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband announced in a statement that this Thomson Reuters Foundation employee is expected to introduce her lawyer to the court by Thursday of this week. Abolqasem Salavati is known for issuing heavy sentences against political and social activists opposed to the Islamic Republic. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe holds dual Iranian and British citizenship and works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charity linked to Reuters news agency. She was arrested on April 15 this year at Tehran Airport while attempting to leave Iran with her young child to visit her family. The IRGC of Kerman Province confirmed Zaghari-Ratcliffe's arrest on June 16, accusing her of participating in 'subversive projects' and being 'one of the main agents linked to foreigners.' However, her husband stated that the exact charges against this Iranian-British citizen are still unclear. Richard Ratcliffe mentioned that this was the fourth time his wife and daughter had traveled to Iran, and 'the idea that she was part of an active plot this time, while she had no issues on previous trips, is not only delusional but a calculated lie.' The Thomson Reuters Foundation emphasized that it has 'absolutely no cooperation with Iran, does not operate in Iran, and has no plans to operate in Iran.' Following Zaghari-Ratcliffe's arrest in Iran, the British Foreign Office warned its citizens that traveling to Iran could put them at risk of arrest. Besides this Thomson Reuters Foundation employee, the status of another Iranian-British citizen in Iran, Kamal Faroughi, remains unclear; the British Foreign Office previously stated it was trying to reach him. Mr. Faroughi is a businessman who has not had any news about his situation since 2011. The Guardian previously reported, quoting Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband, that there are speculations that Iran, or at least the IRGC, is seeking a prisoner exchange with Britain: 'There was a clear message in the last family visit with Nazanin for me... I must do everything to get the British government to agree to an exchange. If they agree, Nazanin's case will not stay in court for long.' Kamran Faroughi, Kamal Faroughi's son, also mentioned in an interview with the newspaper that there are 'rumors' that Iran is looking for a 'deal' regarding prisoners. Iran does not recognize dual citizenship for its citizens.