A German-Iranian woman jailed for more than four years in Tehran has been freed from prison and returned to Germany.
Women's rights lawyer Nahid Taghavi was reunited with her daughter Mariam Claren in Germany after more than 1,500 days in custody in Iran. “It's over. Nahid is free,” Ms Claren wrote on social media. “My mother is finally home,” she said. “Words are not enough to describe our joy.”
Ms Taghavi was arrested in Tehran in October 2020 and sentenced to 10 years and eight months on what her supporters said were spurious charges. Amnesty International described her as a political prisoner and said she was tortured and kept in isolation.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said it was a “great moment of joy that Nahid Taghavi can finally embrace her family again”. Ms Taghavi's family had criticised Germany and the EU for failing to take a tougher line with Iran.
Berlin shut three Iranian consulates last year after the execution of dual national Jamshid Sharmahd, but has kept channels open for talks on hostages and nuclear issues. Britain, Germany and France were holding informal talks with Iran in Geneva on Monday as they prepare for Donald Trump's return to the White House.
Maximum pressure
During his first term Mr Trump pursued a “maximum pressure” policy towards Iran and withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal. In his second term he could push European powers to join him in a “multilateral maximum pressure” campaign, said Jason Brodsky of campaign group United Against Nuclear Iran.
A new policy could include isolating Iran diplomatically, Mr Brodsky told The National. “That's where Europe comes in, because Europe has many more touch points with Iran than the United States does. Downgrading diplomatic ties, reducing the space that the Iranians have to operate in Europe – that's very important.
“The Europeans can still speak to the Iranians irrespective of these steps, but let's understand that there needs to be an architecture that's constructed on the hostage issue that's independent of the piecemeal approach that European countries take to getting their nationals out.
“There needs to be a crackdown on the supply of western nationals going into Iran, as well as the demand for the Iranians to take hostage in the first place. I have not seen the Europeans or the US really construct that pressure architecture.”
Iran has a history of taking dual citizens prisoner and has often been accused of using them as political bargaining chips. Ms Taghavi was arrested as part of an operation in which UK-Iranian Mehran Raoof was also detained.
Ms Taghavi was sentenced to prison on charges of spreading propaganda and belonging to a banned group. Ms Claren said her mother was interrogated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for more than 1,000 hours without being allowed a lawyer.
“My mother’s trials were a farce,” Ms Claren wrote for The National in 2023 as she described conditions in solitary confinement “designed to break the prisoner”. She said her mother slept on a stone floor in a small cell, without a bed, mattress or pillow for 194 days. “She wore a blindfold for months, was monitored by cameras and had little access to fresh air,” she said.
Last January Ms Taghavi was granted a partial release from Evin prison, but was restricted to within a kilometre of her apartment in Tehran while wearing an ankle tag. She was returned to prison in February 2024.
“Nahid Taghavi was imprisoned merely because she freely exercised her right to express her opinion. It should never have been allowed to happen,” said Amnesty's general secretary in Germany, Julia Duchrow.
Iran announced on Sunday that a national held in Italy on a US extradition warrant had returned home. Days earlier, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was released from a Tehran jail, following intense diplomatic efforts by Italy's government.
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
More coverage from the Future Forum
Read more about the coronavirus
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
START-UPS%20IN%20BATCH%204%20OF%20SANABIL%20500'S%20ACCELERATOR%20PROGRAMME
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
more from Janine di Giovanni
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
