Nazanin Zaghari's Freedom Campaign Reports Reopening of Her Case

The campaign for the freedom of Nazanin Zaghari, an Iranian-British citizen imprisoned in Iran, has announced the reopening of her court case ahead of a meeting between Boris Johnson and Mohammad Javad Zarif in Brussels. Last week, the news site 'Nameh' quoted Gholamhossein Esmaili, head of the Tehran judiciary, regarding the latest status of Nazanin Zaghari's case: 'This individual has been convicted in one section and is serving her sentence; she has another case that remains open in the prosecution section. Until a final verdict is issued, precise information cannot be disclosed.' Mr. Esmaili stated: 'This individual (Nazanin Zaghari) has another accusation that has been sent to the court and is in the court's processing phase. The mentioned case is currently open in court, and judges are reviewing it. A date has not yet been set, and it is at this stage.' According to the campaign for Nazanin Zaghari's freedom, after the announcement from the head of the Tehran judiciary, Ms. Zaghari's father visited judicial authorities and was told that this review pertains to an open case against her and that there is a possibility she may be 'acquitted.' Hamid Baidi-Nejad, Iran's ambassador to the UK, reported on Friday, April 24, that the issue of Nazanin Zaghari's freedom is being reviewed for humanitarian reasons by the judiciary. Nazanin Zaghari, an Iranian-British citizen who worked with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested at Imam Khomeini Airport on April 15, 2016, during a trip to visit her mother and was subsequently accused of security crimes such as 'participating in activities related to soft overthrow.' Although Ms. Zaghari has denied all accusations, the court sentenced her to five years in prison. The campaign for Nazanin Zaghari's freedom has once again stated that the Revolutionary Court branch in Evin Prison informed Nazanin Zaghari that her continued imprisonment is due to the dispute between Tehran and London over the interest rate debt owed by the UK to Iran. The Iranian Foreign Ministry, which is responsible for addressing this debt dispute, has described the connection between Ms. Zaghari's case and this debt as 'baseless speculation.' Richard Ratcliffe, Nazanin Zaghari's husband, previously responded to Radio Farda's question about both the British and Iranian governments denying the connection between his wife's case and the mentioned debt, stating: 'They deny it, but the message we receive from the judiciary or from the prosecutor's office and the judge of the case indicates that Nazanin's release is definitely related to the payment of this debt.' This debt issue dates back about forty years when the then Iranian government paid £600 million to the UK for the purchase of 1,750 Chieftain tanks. The UK delivered 185 tanks to Iran before February 1979 but halted arms sales to Iran after the revolution.