UN Human Rights Experts: New Charges Against Nazanin Zaghari Are Deeply Concerning

On Friday, October 20, UN human rights experts called on Iran to immediately release Nazanin Zaghari, an Iranian-British citizen, from prison. These experts described the new charges brought against Ms. Zaghari by Iranian judicial authorities as 'deeply concerning.' Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the public prosecutor of Tehran, detailed the new accusations against Ms. Zaghari on October 16, identifying her as 'responsible for training online journalism for BBC Persian' and claiming that she was 'working to recruit and train individuals for propaganda activities against Iran.' According to Mr. Dolatabadi, 'the use of fake emails, complex and lengthy passwords, password storage, and the use of encryption software for content and information were among the topics covered in this training.' He added that a letter from former British Prime Minister David Cameron 'confirms her connection with the UK government and her significance to that country.' José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez and Asma Jahangir, UN human rights experts, stated in their announcement that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is currently serving her five-year sentence in Evin Prison, could face an additional 16 years in prison if convicted on the new charges. UN legal experts emphasized: 'In our view, Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been arbitrarily deprived of her freedom, and her right to a fair trial in an impartial and independent court has been violated.' They added: 'Under international law, this situation is a clear violation of Iran's obligations.' Mr. Bermúdez and Ms. Jahangir stressed: 'We are deeply concerned about the psychological and physical impact of the new charges against Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe. We urge Iranian authorities to release her immediately and ensure her physical and mental well-being.' This Iranian-British citizen appeared in court last week without a lawyer to be informed of the new charges against her. Her lawyer was also not informed about the new allegations against his client. UN human rights experts have also expressed concern that Ms. Zaghari's request for temporary release, which can be made after serving one-sixth of her sentence, was denied, and her family was asked to provide bail for the new charges, or she would be sent to solitary confinement. They stated: 'We will be in contact with Iranian authorities regarding Ms. Zaghari-Ratcliffe's situation.' UN human rights experts had previously called for her release several times, and the 'Working Group on Arbitrary Detention' had also formally requested the immediate release of this Iranian-British citizen. José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez, the head and rapporteur of the 'Working Group on Arbitrary Detention,' and Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, are involved in this case. Nazanin Zaghari, who traveled to Iran in the spring of 2016 to visit her family, was arrested at Tehran airport while attempting to leave the country and was ultimately sentenced to five years in prison after months of detention without trial. The new charges brought by the Tehran prosecutor against Ms. Zaghari come at a time when the director of the BBC World Service had previously stated that Ms. Zaghari had never collaborated with the Persian section of this media outlet.