CEO responds to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s additional prison sentence

The new sentence against Nazanin defies comprehension, lawful process, justice and basic humanity. Our colleague has been accused – yet again – of spreading propaganda against the Iranian regime, accusations for which she was already tried in 2016, and for which she served a five-year prison sentence.

I have stressed, time and time again, that our colleague is an innocent woman. She has been incarcerated for a crime that she did not commit. Her suffering has been cruel and extreme, resulting in long-lasting physical and psychological consequences for her, and an emotional rollercoaster for her family. Nazanin’s ordeal should have ended on March 7, 2021. Instead, she continues to be held as a political hostage in Tehran, a victim of an international dispute. The decision to jail Nazanin for an additional year must be challenged by the UK government. Diplomatic efforts must resume and must finally succeed. We urge Prime Minister Boris Johnson to accelerate every effort to secure her immediate release. She is a UK citizen afforded diplomatic protection.

Nazanin continues to pay a terrible price, reduced to a bargaining chip between two governments. For how much longer must she be denied her liberty, her family and her future? The Thomson Reuters Foundation stands in solidarity with Nazanin and her family. We are grateful to the many people around the world who continue to fight for justice for this young mother.