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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/jan/07/iran-digging-diplomatic-grave-over-nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-says-emily-thornberry
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| Iran digging 'diplomatic grave' over Zaghari-Ratcliffe, says Thornberry | Iran digging 'diplomatic grave' over Zaghari-Ratcliffe, says Thornberry |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| Iran is digging its own diplomatic grave by punishing the jailed British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after it cut both her food rations and access to medical treatment for a lump on her breast, the shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, has said. | Iran is digging its own diplomatic grave by punishing the jailed British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after it cut both her food rations and access to medical treatment for a lump on her breast, the shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, has said. |
| The family of the 40-year-old, who has been detained in Iran since 2016, said last week that she intended to begin a hunger strike on Monday 14 January alongside her fellow inmate and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi. | The family of the 40-year-old, who has been detained in Iran since 2016, said last week that she intended to begin a hunger strike on Monday 14 January alongside her fellow inmate and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi. |
| The two women have been requesting medical treatment promised to them by a prison doctor, but denied by the Iranian prison authorities. | The two women have been requesting medical treatment promised to them by a prison doctor, but denied by the Iranian prison authorities. |
| Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s weekly Sunday phonecall with her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, has since been cut as well as her medical rations. | Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s weekly Sunday phonecall with her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, has since been cut as well as her medical rations. |
| Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a 4-year-old Iranian-British dual national who has been jailed in Iran since April 2016. She has been accused of attempting to orchestrate a “soft overthrow” of the Islamic Republic. She and her three-year-old daughter, Gabriella, were about to return to the UK from Iran after a family visit when she was arrested. Since then, she has spent most of her time in Evin prison in Tehran, separated from her daughter. | |
| In January 2019 she went on hunger strike for three days in protest against being denied medical care in Tehran’s Evin prison. In March, the UK Foreign Office granted her diplomatic protection, a step that raised her case from a consular matter to the level of a dispute between the two states. | |
| Zaghari-Ratcliffe worked for BBC Media Action between February 2009 and October 2010 before moving to Thomson Reuters Foundation, the news agency’s charitable arm, as a project manager. Her family has always said that she was in Iran on holiday. | |
| Alistair Burt, the Middle East minister, who was speaking in the Commons on Monday, insisted her access to medicines was of “supreme importance” to the UK, and said pressure was being applied on the Iranian government to allow British officials consular access to her in prison. He said Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release may change perceptions of Iran. | Alistair Burt, the Middle East minister, who was speaking in the Commons on Monday, insisted her access to medicines was of “supreme importance” to the UK, and said pressure was being applied on the Iranian government to allow British officials consular access to her in prison. He said Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release may change perceptions of Iran. |
| Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s MP, Tulip Siddiq, said her treatment was “becoming a matter of life and death”, and called on the foreign ministry to summon the Iranian ambassador to the UK and to demand the issue was debated at the UN security council. “Tough rhetoric is not enough”, said Siddiq, the Labour MP for Hampstead. | Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s MP, Tulip Siddiq, said her treatment was “becoming a matter of life and death”, and called on the foreign ministry to summon the Iranian ambassador to the UK and to demand the issue was debated at the UN security council. “Tough rhetoric is not enough”, said Siddiq, the Labour MP for Hampstead. |
| Thornberry, in some of her most pointed remarks to the Iranian government, described the mistreatment of Zaghari-Ratcliffe as “a cruel and vengeful response”. She said the mistreatment of any prisoner was inhumane, but said in the context of her medical and physical condition, “her treatment is nothing but barbaric”. | Thornberry, in some of her most pointed remarks to the Iranian government, described the mistreatment of Zaghari-Ratcliffe as “a cruel and vengeful response”. She said the mistreatment of any prisoner was inhumane, but said in the context of her medical and physical condition, “her treatment is nothing but barbaric”. |
| She added: “it was necessary for the Iranians to restore not just her basic rights, but her freedom without delay.” | She added: “it was necessary for the Iranians to restore not just her basic rights, but her freedom without delay.” |
| Iran faced a twin economic and military threat this year, Thornberry noted, from the US economic sanctions and dangerous military escalation. | Iran faced a twin economic and military threat this year, Thornberry noted, from the US economic sanctions and dangerous military escalation. |
| She said: “Iran will need us to fight on their behalf to preserve the nuclear deal, to preserve trade and stop the descent into war. Tehran needs to hear this. Every day Nazanin’s inhumane treatment continues, every time we see fresh human rights abuses in Iran, it makes it more and more difficult to summon the stomach for that fight. | She said: “Iran will need us to fight on their behalf to preserve the nuclear deal, to preserve trade and stop the descent into war. Tehran needs to hear this. Every day Nazanin’s inhumane treatment continues, every time we see fresh human rights abuses in Iran, it makes it more and more difficult to summon the stomach for that fight. |
| “When the Foreign Office says Iran is holding Nazanin for diplomatic advantage, Tehran needs to realise that in fact, the opposite is true. For her every day they continue her unjust detention, they are simply burying their own diplomatic grave.” | “When the Foreign Office says Iran is holding Nazanin for diplomatic advantage, Tehran needs to realise that in fact, the opposite is true. For her every day they continue her unjust detention, they are simply burying their own diplomatic grave.” |
| The Zaghari-Ratcliffe campaign said: “[Nazanin] hasn’t started her hunger strike yet. She and Narges Mohammedi announced last week that they will go on hunger strike next Monday unless they are given the medical treatment promised by the prison doctor, but blocked by the prison authorities. | The Zaghari-Ratcliffe campaign said: “[Nazanin] hasn’t started her hunger strike yet. She and Narges Mohammedi announced last week that they will go on hunger strike next Monday unless they are given the medical treatment promised by the prison doctor, but blocked by the prison authorities. |
| “But [we have had] no formal response yet on whether she will be allowed the recommended treatment, so are waiting to see what happens over the next couple of days.” | “But [we have had] no formal response yet on whether she will be allowed the recommended treatment, so are waiting to see what happens over the next couple of days.” |
| The foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has been in contact with the family 11 times since August, and made her plight a highlight of his one-day visit to Tehran. | The foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has been in contact with the family 11 times since August, and made her plight a highlight of his one-day visit to Tehran. |
| The Iranian news agency Fars reported on Sunday that the Iranian judicial spokesman, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, criticised Hunt for threatening Iran over Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case. | The Iranian news agency Fars reported on Sunday that the Iranian judicial spokesman, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, criticised Hunt for threatening Iran over Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case. |
| He said: “Firstly, he has done a damn wrong move to threaten [Iran]. Secondly, releasing or keeping Zaghari [in jail] is no way affected by their interference.” The foreign ministry has accused Hunt of hasty and incorrect remarks, insisting she had been found guilty of espionage and sentenced to five years in jail. | He said: “Firstly, he has done a damn wrong move to threaten [Iran]. Secondly, releasing or keeping Zaghari [in jail] is no way affected by their interference.” The foreign ministry has accused Hunt of hasty and incorrect remarks, insisting she had been found guilty of espionage and sentenced to five years in jail. |
| Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe |
| Iran | Iran |
| Emily Thornberry | Emily Thornberry |
| Foreign policy | Foreign policy |
| Labour | Labour |
| news | news |
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