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To feel really concerned for jailed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe?

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Bluemoon49 · 30/11/2016 17:14

There have been threads about this before but just thought I would bring it up again to see how many others are aware of this case and what you all think?

As you may know, Nazanin is a British citizen with dual Iranian citizenship. She lives in London with her husband and baby daughter and worked for the charitable arm of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Earlier this year, in May, she made her usual two week visit to her parents in Iran but on attempting to return home to the UK she was arrested at Tehran Airport on 3rd April. She was not not told the reason for her arrest, but taken to solitary confinement while her daughter's passport was confiscated. For forty five days she was kept in solitary confinement without charge, without being told what she had done wrong and without being allowed access to her parents and daughter or even a phone call.

She has since been moved to Evin prison in Tehran (which is infamous for its harsh conditions and physical and psychological torture) and was recently sentenced to five years imprisonment based on unspecified charges relating to "national security". The Iranian authorities are accusing her of being part of a plot to overthrow the government and for being a British spy. She was not allowed to consult with a lawyer until the day before her trial and her sentencing was passed without solid evidence to support the alleged offences. Therefore Amnesty International believe that she has not been given a fair trial.

Nazanin's husband Ritchard has been campaigning tirelessly since her arrest through change.org, facebook and numerous letters to the Foreign Office. He has said from the beginning that the allegations are beyond ridiculous - she is a British charity worker with a young daughter who was simply visiting her parents.

The calls for her release are backed by Amnesty International and 117 British MPs as well as over 800,000 people who signed the original petition on change.org. Yet the government has done very little to help her case; Theresa May and Boris Johnson have expressed concern for Nazanin but talked of the difficulty they face in approaching the situation because Iran does not recognise her British citizenship. The UK has continued to hold trade conferences with Iran yet has never called for Nazanin's release. Her husband has put forward a theory that the Iranian government is holing Nazanin as a bargaining chip against the UK - this is based on Nazanin being told by the Revolutionary Guard that she is being held as an "exchange" and Richard receiving a message to let the UK government know that 'an agreement' needs to be reached. He also points out that Nazanin's arrest coincided with a break down in negotiations between the UK and Iran (in May). Obviously there's no solid proof that this is true and the UK government has dismissed these suggestions but it does seem to make sense. Either way it is highly unlikely that Nazanin was indeed trying to 'topple' the Iranian government and Amnesty believe she is being falsely imprisoned.

According to Ritchard, Nazanin is now at breaking point. Her physical health is deteriorating; she is suffering chest pains, heart palpitations, muscle pains and blurred vision. Psychologically she is struggling to cope; she has told her family that she cannot go on much longer and has thought seriously about committing suicide.

www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/iran-jailed-briton-nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-breaking-point-health-declines

I just feel so sorry for this woman and her family. She has been imprisoned for eight months now and the situation is extremely worrying. If something is not done soon, I'm worried what the outcome will be.

Whether she is indeed being held as a 'bargaining chip' by the Iranian authorities or not, I feel the UK government should be doing more. I understand the difficulty that her dual citizenship creates - Iran doesn't recognise her as a British citizen and therefore will not take kindly to our government trying to intervene. However, other countries have succeeded in the past in getting access to their citizens and securing their release - surely the Foreign Office could do more?

I think the only way our government will take action is if enough people voice their concern about it. If you want to do something to help Nazanin there are a few ways you can use your voice to speak up for her and ask the government to intervene...

There are petitions calling for Nazanin's release on change.org and Amnesty International which you can sign:
www.change.org/p/free-nazanin-ratcliffe

www.change.org/p/4618602/u/17835644?recruiter=413338968&utm_campaign=petition_update_email_twitter_dialog&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=petition_update

Amnesty International are running their annual Write for Rights campaign. They ask you to write a card or letter to the person who is imprisoned, to let them know you are thinking of them and they are not alone (which Nazanin is in great need of!) They also ask you to write to the relevant leaders to call on them to take action.
Here is the link (you can find Nazanin's details in the campaign booklet)
www.amnesty.org.uk/write-rights-2016

You can write to your MPs and ask them, if they haven't done so already, to sign the letter from Tulip Siddiq to Boris Johnson, calling on him to use the recently improved relations with Iran to negotiate Nazanin's release (as well as the release of two other British-Iranians held on similarly arbitrary charges.) This has already been signed by 117 MPs and peers and was presented to the Foreign Office last month. They are hoping to present it again in December if more MPs sign.
www.tulipsiddiq.com/freenazanin-letter-to-boris-johnson-from-mps-and-peers/

There is an Early Day Motion sponsored by Tom Brake MP, which aims to get Nazanin's case debated in parliament and calls on the government to demand her release, that you can urge your MPs to sign.
www.parliament.uk/edm/2016-17/564

You can also spread the word among your friends and family, share on facebook, tweet or whatever you like to do!

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timelytess · 30/11/2016 17:17

You are right to be concerned. I have a card and letter here for her, to post tomorrow.

Please write urgently, and express your support.