Statement from Monique Villa on Renewed Charges Against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

“The renewed charges against our colleague Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been kept hostage in Iran and separated from her family since April 2016, are a mockery that prolongs the ordeal she has been subjected to since day one. 

We totally reject the renewed accusations that Nazanin is guilty of spreading propaganda against the Iranian regime and continue to assert that she is 100% innocent. Nazanin must be released immediately and reunited with her daughter Gabriella and her husband Richard. 

We call upon the UK government to “leave absolutely no stone unturned” in fighting the charges against Nazanin, as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has promised, and secure her release as soon as possible. 

Irreparable damage has already been done to Nazanin’s mental and physical health, which continue to deteriorate, not to mention the trauma her young family continues to endure.” 

Monique Villa, Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO