Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: New charge 'a political game', says husband

Written by Super User 11 Sep 2020
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: New charge 'a political game', says husband

A new charge against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran, is "a new stage in a long-running political game", her husband Richard has claimed.  "She is clearly being held as a bargaining chip," Mr Ratcliffe said. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is nearing the end of her sentence for spying charges, which she denies. But on Tuesday, she was told she would face a new trial. The Foreign Office said British officials will try to attend the trial. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in Tehran in April 2016. She had been visiting her parents with her young British-born daughter, Gabriella, who is now six. The dual national was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations of plotting against the Iranian government - although no official charges have ever been made public. Gabriella has now returned to the UK. Mr Ratcliffe said his wife and other dual nationals are being held hostage because Iran wants the UK to pay a decades-old debt (£400m) over an arms deal that was never fulfilled.

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  • Pray: that Nazanin and others who have been unjustly imprisoned will be freed; pray that this long-running dispute will be resolved between Iran and the UK Government. (Isaiah 1:17)