Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been out of Tehran's Evin prison since March. Reuters
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been out of Tehran's Evin prison since March. Reuters
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been out of Tehran's Evin prison since March. Reuters
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been out of Tehran's Evin prison since March. Reuters

Jailed Briton victim of Iranian psychological torture, says husband


Paul Peachey
  • English
  • Arabic

The jailed British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been put through “psychological torture” after another delay in her bid for clemency, her husband said.

The decision over her fate in Iran has been complicated by an apparent dispute between the judiciary and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Mr Ratcliffe told British media it appeared that both the foreign ministry and the judiciary were seeking her release.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 41, has been out of prison since March as the Iranians battle the Covid-19 crisis, and she has applied for clemency after serving four years of a five-year sentence for unspecified national security offences.

She was arrested in April 2016 as she prepared to fly out of Iran after visiting her parents with her young daughter.

Her lawyers had hoped that officials will have ruled on her case last week but her lawyer was rebuffed on two occasions.

He has been told to report back to prosecutors next Saturday by which time the family believe it will be clear who will decide her fate among the upper echelons of the Iranian leadership.

She spent last week having nightmares as she waited for news at her parents’ home in Iran, where she is confined under an electronic tagging programme, her husband told a British newspaper.

"It is fair to say that what Nazanin has gone through amounts to psychological torture," Mr Ratcliffe told the Observer.

“The Revolutionary Guard have had no problem making a mockery of Iranian law,” he said. “But this is the first time we’ve had a situation where not only is the Iranian foreign ministry, behind closed doors, trying to solve this for diplomatic purposes, but also the judiciary are trying to solve this case.”

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is eligible for release under the terms of an amnesty announced by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this year.

She is one of 125 identified security prisoners who is eligible for permanent release under the terms of the programme, according to Iran Prison Atlas, a database of prisoners compiled by a US-based group.

“I think we’re very close …. But we’re also preparing, behind closed doors, for the worst,” Mr Ratcliffe told the newspaper. “My hope is that behind closed doors, the British government and the Iranian government are reaching an understanding – which is that she can come home.”

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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

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Japan

5

Norway

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Canada

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Singapore

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Australia

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Saudi Arabia

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South Korea

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

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Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

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Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).

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Director: Clint Eastwood

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The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.

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Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.

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The National selections

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if you go

The flights

Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

The hotel

Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.

The tour

Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg

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  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
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