AIBU to feel bad that despite reading the news daily I have not heard about Nazanin Ratcliffe until today?

[lifeofdino]

Telegraph article here.

Petition

There is an old thread but it was moved from AIBU to petitions, where it possibly didn't get seen as much.

[TendonQueen]

I read the news daily and I haven't seen this either. That's awful. I will sign the petition and tweet about it.

[MassDebate]

This thread will be moved to petitions too probably, so hardly anyone will see it. (Not a fan of the new mnet policy on petitions.)

The whole situation is horrifying and I feel so desperate for the family. Little Gabriella is turning from a baby into a little girl without her parents. It's all so fabricated and the lack of positive action from the UK govt is a disgrace IMO.

[lifeofdino]

oh, is that a new MN policy? odd, why have they decided to do that? I didn't notice that chat/AIBU was ever particularly overrun with petitions.

[MoonriseKingdom]

www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/25/nazanin-zaghari-richard-ratcliffe-iran-imprisoned

I have been following this story for a little while. This interview witg her husband was in the Guardian last month. Her DD is a similar age to mine. So heartbreaking for their whole family.

[seefeld]

Thanks so much for drawing attention to this! Absolutely heartbreaking, I've signed the petition and will circulate it too

[99percentchocolate]

Awful. This should be getting more media attention. Have signed.

[MassDebate]

Not sure when MNet started doing it but it only seems to apply to petitions started by mnetters (they still keep their own in the busier parts of the site ).

There has been steady press coverage of Nazanin's detention but as time goes on it's hard to keep it in the limelight. Anything people can do to raise her profile will help. The govt seems to be doing very little - the family are immensely frustrated that noone has publicly criticised the actions of Iran over this, and it seems rather telling that trade talks between the UK and Iran are ongoing.

I have a 2yo DD and can't imagine the desperation of being torn from her in this way and the helplessness Richard Ratcliffe must feel.

[AnchorDownDeepBreath]

Where do you usually read news? This has been around for a while - when she was first arrested there was a fair amount of uproar. It has lessened as people come to understand that she is a dual citizen and therefore there is very little that the UK can do. It'd be worrying if there are news sources that haven't covered this at all! I'm trying to use a variety of sources but staying informed is much harder than it used to be.

MN have moved petitions to 'petitions' for a long time now, mostly because they would become overrun otherwise. There are a lot posted - you just don't see them because most are reported quickly and either removed or moved. Of course MNs own petitions won't be moved...

This petition is likely to fail because it's calling for the UK government to do something and it is not their place to do so. She is a citizen of the country that she has been arrested in. Iran does not recognise dual nationality. It would be a very bold PM who got involved here, especially as we're trying to build relations with Iran. That's absolutely not how it should be, of course, but it's how it is, and likely why there has been little response to this so far.

She did appear in court yesterday, I believe, but it doesn't appear that much happened. She has been ordered to stand trial against a judge famous for imposing the death penalty on protesters.

[lifeofdino]

I usually look at quite a few news sites, Telegraph Guardian, Huffington, Independent. I probably ought to broaden my search though.

It's an awful situation, even thought it's not their place it's a shame they can't exert some influence . I'd make a hopeless politician.

[MassDebate]

The govt absolutely can exert some influence and have done in other cases of dual nationals in Iran. Noone knows why they haven't spoken up publicly here, other than the fact that the lifting of sanctions mean Iran now represents a trade opportunity. Baby Gabriella is a British citizen (not dual nationality) and they haven't done anything about her passport being confiscated either.

Nazanin did appear in court in secret earlier this week - her family were informed afterwards. She has never been given access to a lawyer and the charges against her are unknown.

[AnchorDownDeepBreath]

I'm hoping that it's a good sign that she was allowed to call her husband after her court appearance, and that she will now be allowed weekly visitation with Gabriella, but I am not confident given the judge that she has been assigned.

It's a very confusing case. Her husband seemed to adamantly believe that Iran would use her release as a bargaining chip with the UK Government, and not actually try her. The announcement of her trial has shocked him. He has applied for a visa to travel to her, but I don't rate his chances.

Reuters have been quite quiet too, although the CEO has recently spoken out to say that they believe she'll be allowed 45 minutes with a lawyer soon.

The only info on charges appears to be this, from June: "“In 2014-2015, the intelligence service of the Revolutionary Guards in Kerman province identified and arrested members of one of the groups that during the Sedition conducted activities against the security of the country by designing websites and carrying out campaigns in the media,” Movahed said. “Some of the group were outside Iran, including the suspect Nazanin Zaghari.”"

Which makes you wonder if the UK government are not intervening because they would not welcome Iran intervening when we are holding Iranian citizens for terrorism offences.

It's a scary thought that Politics has become so much of a game of pawns that we are all individually expendable to keep the peace.

[CharminglyGawky]

I knew about her from about a week after it happened. I'm on another forum with a friend of the family who has been spreading the word.

It is horrific, her only 'crime' appears to be that she once worked for the bbc and has family in Iran. I get the updates through the petition whenever Richard Ratcliffe updates it and he has worked so hard to get his family back. His daughter turned 2 without either him or her mother there. I think the lack of government action is disgusting. Although it is possible that stuff is going on behind the scenes somehow I doubt it.

[meditrina]

"I think the lack of government action is disgusting."

I posted this on the earlier thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/a2695082-Mother-imprisoned-in-Iran-could-mumsnetters-yarn-bomb-somewhere

"The Government is helping, as far as they can.

"The snag is that she's a dual national, in the country of her other nationality and there is nothing they can do (other than make formal requests). Iran doesn't recognise her other (British) nationality, and don't seem to be responding.

"It's the Iranian government, not the FCO (already doing all they can, given the legal/nationality conditions) who need to be persuaded to act."

[UncleHerbie]

Mr Ratcliffe was interviewed by Eddie Nestor on BBC Radio London (94.9 fm) last night, between 1830/1900

[zofranks]

signed - terrible thing