1. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is an Iranian-British dual citizen who was detained in Iran from 3 April 2016 to 16 March 2022 as part of a long-running dispute between Britain and Iran.
34 Facts About Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
1. 2.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was temporarily released on 17 March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, but subject to electronic monitoring.
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In October 2017, the prosecutor general of Tehran made a new claim that Zaghari-Ratcliffe was being held for running "a BBC Persian online journalism course which was aimed at recruiting and training people to spread propaganda against Iran".
4.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appealed but on 16 October 2021, her appeal was rejected by the Iranian court.
5.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe returned to the United Kingdom the next day.
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Zaghari was born and brought up in Tehran and studied English literature at the University of Tehran, before becoming an English teacher.
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe later worked for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and then moved to the World Health Organization as a communications officer.
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In 2007, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe moved to the UK after receiving a scholarship to study for a Masters in Communication Management at London Metropolitan University.
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe used to return to Iran from time to time enabling her parents to see her daughter.
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe used her British passport for all other international travel.
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On 17 March 2016, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe travelled to visit her family for Nowruz with her 22-month-old daughter.
12.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had worked for the BBC World Service Trust between February 2009 and October 2010.
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In early September 2016, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Iranian government.
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On 23 August 2018, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released on temporary licence for three days, which is standard practice prior to lengthier releases.
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband said the temporary licence was a "cruel game" subject to conditions including the monitoring of her movements.
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On 11 October 2019 Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's daughter returned to her father in the United Kingdom to start school.
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband reported that she had been ill for two weeks with COVID-19 symptoms but had not been tested and did not require hospitalization.
18.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was able to make video calls for several hours a day to her husband and daughter.
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On 8 September 2020 Iranian state media said that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was facing new charges.
20.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe said that they were not sure if she'd be released, as "the arrangements haven't been clarified".
21.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's lawyer said that she had been accused of taking part in a demonstration in London 12 years before and giving an interview to the BBC Persian service.
22.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was allegedly told by her military interrogators of the link between her detention and the disputed arms deal.
23.
In June 2019 both Richard and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe went on hunger strike in protest at Nazanin's imprisonment, with Richard Ratcliffe camping outside the Iranian Embassy in London.
24.
Four days later Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was returned to court in Iran, where the Foreign Secretary's statement was cited as evidence against her.
25.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was thought likely to appear in court again on 10 December 2017 to face additional charges relating to her work for the BBC World Service Trust; however Iranian court officials released a statement that no new charges had been raised and these reports were false.
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In February 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread to Iran, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was suspected of falling ill with COVID-19 from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family called on the UK and Iranian governments to ensure that Zaghari-Ratcliffe was tested for the virus and received proper medical treatment.
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe accused the Iranian government of playing cruel political games on her and asked the British government to work harder for her release.
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The legal difficulty for the British Foreign Office in this particular case was that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in the country of her birth citizenship and in a country which does not recognise dual nationality for Iranian citizens.
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Furthermore, during her visits to Iran, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe entered the country using her Iranian passport.
31.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released, together with Anoosheh Ashoori, on 16 March 2022.
32.
English humanitarian Terry Waite, who was held captive for four years in Lebanon from 1987 to 1991, said that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe "should tell her story".
33.
On 28 December 2022, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was the guest editor on the Today programme.
34.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe told Andy Murray that she had experienced a rare moment of joy during her imprisonment when her captors gave her a television, on which she saw him win the Men's singles at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships.