Iran grants furlough to convicted UK-Iranian journalist
Iran has temporarily freed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a high-profile British-Iranian journalist convicted of spying and planning to overthrow the government.
Iran’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Hamid Baeidinejad announced on his Twitter page on Thursday that Zaghari had been released from prison for the purpose of seeing her family.
“Mrs. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been granted a three-day release from prison in Iran to reunite with her family,” wrote Baeidinejad.
The envoy expressed his delight at seeing images of Zaghari and her four-year-old girl reunited at a family home in Tehran.
“She immediately joined her four-year-old daughter, Gabriella who welcomed her mom with flowers. Lovely picture,” read Baeidinejad post.
Mrs. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been granted a three-day release from prison in Iran to reunite with her family. She immediately joined her four-year-old daughter, Gabriella who welcomed her mom with flowers. Lovely picture pic.twitter.com/aST1efpJCJ
— Hamid Baeidinejad (@baeidinejad) August 23, 2018
There was no direct comment from Iranian authorities on the issue and whether the furlough, granted to Zaghari after more than two years, could be extended.
Intelligence authorities arrested Zaghari at the Imam Khomeini International Airport on April 3 on her way home to London after visiting her parents in Tehran.
The 39-year-old was arrested after it became clear that she had run an illegal course to recruit and train people for the Persian service of the BBC, a channel Iran deems is spreading propaganda against it.
Zaghari had initially been sentenced to five years in jail on charges relating to national security but authorities later opened her case and tried her on additional charges based on new evidence including a BBC paycheck and contents of her personal email.
Zaghari’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe, thanked Iranian authorities involved in the temporary release while he also appreciated UK foreign minister Jeremy Hunt for his efforts.
Hunt also vowed in a tweet that the Foreign Office would continue “every effort” to have Zaghari released permanently.
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