Nazanin Zaghari's Lawyer Reports Possibility of Early Release

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's lawyer, a dual national imprisoned in Iran, has reported an increased likelihood of her early release from prison, stating that her client may be freed "within a few weeks." Nazanin Zaghari, an Iranian-British aid worker and employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was sentenced to five years in prison by Iranian judicial authorities on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the Islamic Republic, which she denies. She was arrested in April 2016 while traveling to Iran for a holiday. Richard Ratcliffe, Ms. Zaghari's husband, told the British newspaper The Independent on Thursday, December 21, that Nazanin's name has been removed from the list of "closed" cases on the Iranian judiciary's website and transferred to the list of those "eligible for early release." He also informed the French news agency that Ms. Zaghari's lawyer has updated her on this development and that she is likely to return home by Christmas this year. Mr. Ratcliffe expressed a "relatively positive" expectation, noting that while the news may not be entirely hopeful, it is certainly good news. According to Richard Ratcliffe, Ms. Zaghari's lawyer mentioned that there is still "paperwork" required to finalize her release, but this process should take "a few days or weeks and will not extend into months or years." Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary, intervened for Nazanin Zaghari's release during a visit to Iran earlier this month, where he also negotiated the repayment of a £400 million debt to Iran. The British newspaper Daily Telegraph reported that the UK government has expressed readiness to repay £400 million (equivalent to $527 million) to Iran in exchange for Nazanin Zaghari's release. Following this, a spokesperson for the British Prime Minister's office, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that there is "no connection" between the two issues, and the Iranian Foreign Ministry also denied any link between them. The Daily Telegraph reported on November 15 that the amount the UK is willing to pay is related to a debt from a military deal made during the last Shah of Iran's reign. This arms deal was signed about 40 years ago, and reports indicate that the UK has not delivered part of the weapons and equipment to Iran. The issue of Nazanin Zaghari's imprisonment has been in the news for several weeks following comments made by the British Foreign Secretary about her, which led to an apology from the high-ranking official. In his initial remarks regarding Ms. Zaghari's imprisonment in Iran, the Foreign Secretary stated that she had been teaching journalism in Iran before her arrest, a claim that both Nazanin Zaghari and her employer denied. Ms. Zaghari worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charitable organization in London, which is independent of the Thomson Reuters news agency and Reuters. Following the Foreign Secretary's comments, Nazanin Zaghari was summoned to court again without prior notice. Richard Ratcliffe also told reporters that Ms. Zaghari was charged with new offenses after these comments, which could add 16 years to her sentence. Meanwhile, there were reports that Nazanin Zaghari's court case had been postponed.