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| Johnson resignation 'complicates Zaghari-Ratcliffe case' | Johnson resignation 'complicates Zaghari-Ratcliffe case' |
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| Boris Johnson’s resignation as British foreign secretary has complicated the prolonged imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman serving a five-year jail sentence in Tehran, according to her husband. | Boris Johnson’s resignation as British foreign secretary has complicated the prolonged imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman serving a five-year jail sentence in Tehran, according to her husband. |
| Richard Ratcliffe said Johnson was due to make a decision this week on whether the UK could grant his wife, who has been in jail for 829 days, diplomatic protection, which would escalate her case from a consular issue to a state matter. | Richard Ratcliffe said Johnson was due to make a decision this week on whether the UK could grant his wife, who has been in jail for 829 days, diplomatic protection, which would escalate her case from a consular issue to a state matter. |
| Johnson became involved in her case after he made an erroneous statement last year stating that Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the news agency, was training journalists in Iran, while in fact she was on holiday. | Johnson became involved in her case after he made an erroneous statement last year stating that Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the news agency, was training journalists in Iran, while in fact she was on holiday. |
| His mistake, which caused him huge embarrassment at home, for which he reluctantly apologised and later travelled to Tehran to lobby for her release, played into the hands of Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s captors, who viewed it as credence she was doing something illegal. | His mistake, which caused him huge embarrassment at home, for which he reluctantly apologised and later travelled to Tehran to lobby for her release, played into the hands of Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s captors, who viewed it as credence she was doing something illegal. |
| Boris Johnson has gone, but his vow to free my wife must be fulfilled | Richard Ratcliffe | |
| Tulip Siddiq, the MP representing Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s constituency, wrote a letter to Johnson’s successor, Jeremy Hunt. She complained about Johnson’s handling of her case, saying his mistake “actively damaged” her situation. | Tulip Siddiq, the MP representing Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s constituency, wrote a letter to Johnson’s successor, Jeremy Hunt. She complained about Johnson’s handling of her case, saying his mistake “actively damaged” her situation. |
| “Her case is a travesty of justice, not least for her husband and daughter, from whom she remains separated,” she wrote to Hunt. “The very minimum one expects from the Foreign Office is that it seeks to protect British citizens who are in distress abroad. I’m afraid, in that regard, your predecessor’s record was one of failure.” | “Her case is a travesty of justice, not least for her husband and daughter, from whom she remains separated,” she wrote to Hunt. “The very minimum one expects from the Foreign Office is that it seeks to protect British citizens who are in distress abroad. I’m afraid, in that regard, your predecessor’s record was one of failure.” |
| Ratcliffe said: “The immediate complication is the diplomatic protection request, which was on [Johnson’s] desk and now has to wait for the new foreign secretary to be fully briefed on the Iran portfolio and be ready to make a decision. | Ratcliffe said: “The immediate complication is the diplomatic protection request, which was on [Johnson’s] desk and now has to wait for the new foreign secretary to be fully briefed on the Iran portfolio and be ready to make a decision. |
| “What the Foreign Office told us is that it’s going to take some time and they would let us know when [the new foreign secretary] is ready to receive full application again. We were expecting a decision this week and we would not get that decision this week.” | “What the Foreign Office told us is that it’s going to take some time and they would let us know when [the new foreign secretary] is ready to receive full application again. We were expecting a decision this week and we would not get that decision this week.” |
| He said Johnson’s resignation would bring “the unfortunate consequence” of further delay in her case. | He said Johnson’s resignation would bring “the unfortunate consequence” of further delay in her case. |
| Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016 at Tehran airport when she and her then 22-month-old daughter, Gabriella, were about to return to the UK after a family visit. During her first trial, she was accused of running “a BBC Persian online journalism course” and seeking a “soft overthrow” of Iran. | Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016 at Tehran airport when she and her then 22-month-old daughter, Gabriella, were about to return to the UK after a family visit. During her first trial, she was accused of running “a BBC Persian online journalism course” and seeking a “soft overthrow” of Iran. |
| In addition to her five-year jail sentence, Zaghari-Ratcliffe is threatened with a new case against her for the additional charge of “spreading propaganda against the state”, based on claims of fresh evidence. She was told in May to expect another conviction, though judicial authorities have since insisted she is not yet formally charged in the new trial. | In addition to her five-year jail sentence, Zaghari-Ratcliffe is threatened with a new case against her for the additional charge of “spreading propaganda against the state”, based on claims of fresh evidence. She was told in May to expect another conviction, though judicial authorities have since insisted she is not yet formally charged in the new trial. |
| Ratcliffe said the new foreign secretary had already been familiar with Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case as he was the MP for his brother’s constituency. “We will be pressing to try and meet with him as soon as possible to try to find out what he thinks and what he will do, and what a priority it will be for him,” he said. | Ratcliffe said the new foreign secretary had already been familiar with Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case as he was the MP for his brother’s constituency. “We will be pressing to try and meet with him as soon as possible to try to find out what he thinks and what he will do, and what a priority it will be for him,” he said. |
| Asked about the impact of Johnson’s resignation on the case, an FCO spokeswoman said: “We will continue to approach each case in a way that we judge is most likely to secure the outcome we all want. Therefore we will not be providing a running commentary on every twist and turn.” | Asked about the impact of Johnson’s resignation on the case, an FCO spokeswoman said: “We will continue to approach each case in a way that we judge is most likely to secure the outcome we all want. Therefore we will not be providing a running commentary on every twist and turn.” |
| Zaghari-Ratcliffe had reacted with a sense of panic to the changes in the Foreign Office, her husband said. During a phone conversation between the two on Tuesday morning, she told Ratcliffe: “I can’t believe it – what is going on in that country? I am so worried – worried that the new foreign secretary will need to spend months first reading the file, and then wanting to build relations, and then make new visits. And I am left waiting.” | Zaghari-Ratcliffe had reacted with a sense of panic to the changes in the Foreign Office, her husband said. During a phone conversation between the two on Tuesday morning, she told Ratcliffe: “I can’t believe it – what is going on in that country? I am so worried – worried that the new foreign secretary will need to spend months first reading the file, and then wanting to build relations, and then make new visits. And I am left waiting.” |
| Ratcliffe believes his wife’s case was related to a sum of money the UK government owes to Tehran in connection with a four-decade legal dispute over hundreds of Chieftain tanks Iran bought from the UK in 1976. The British government admits it owes Iran up to £400m, but the countries have wrangled over the precise sum and the interest Tehran wants over the delayed payment. | Ratcliffe believes his wife’s case was related to a sum of money the UK government owes to Tehran in connection with a four-decade legal dispute over hundreds of Chieftain tanks Iran bought from the UK in 1976. The British government admits it owes Iran up to £400m, but the countries have wrangled over the precise sum and the interest Tehran wants over the delayed payment. |
| “I still think Nazanin’s detention is not connected to anything that Nazanin has done. It looks like a problem between governments and our best knowledge is that it’s connected to this old debt,” he said. “One of the area we were asking questions with the foreign secretary was, what’s happening there? One of the questions we’ll take to the new foreign secretary is, what’s happening there, too.” | “I still think Nazanin’s detention is not connected to anything that Nazanin has done. It looks like a problem between governments and our best knowledge is that it’s connected to this old debt,” he said. “One of the area we were asking questions with the foreign secretary was, what’s happening there? One of the questions we’ll take to the new foreign secretary is, what’s happening there, too.” |
| Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe |
| Boris Johnson | Boris Johnson |
| Iran | Iran |
| Jeremy Hunt | Jeremy Hunt |
| news | news |
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