Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe released but faces new court date

Free Nazanin Campaign

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran five years ago on spying charges, has had her ankle tag removed.

But her husband Richard Ratcliffe has been told a new court case against her is scheduled for next Sunday.

The charity worker had been under house arrest in Tehran since being moved from jail last March. She has always denied the charges against her.

The foreign secretary said she should be allowed to return to the UK.

Dominic Raab said in a tweet: "We welcome the removal of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's ankle tag but Iran's continued treatment of her is intolerable. She must be allowed to return to the UK as soon as possible to be reunited with her family."

Tulip Siddiq, the Labour MP for the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency in London where Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family live, told the BBC she had not yet had her British passport returned to her.

The 42-year-old had been out of prison since last spring due to the coronavirus pandemic and her sentence was due to end on Sunday.

• 'My wife has been used as a bargaining chip'
• Who is Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe?

She was arrested in April 2016 while travelling to visit her parents in Iran with her young British-born daughter, Gabriella.

The dual national was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government, which she denies. Prior to her arrest, she lived in London with her husband and child.

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March 08, 2021 at 12:51AM

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56313099