The temporary release of jailed charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been extended while Iranian authorities mull her request for clemency, her supporters said on Wednesday.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual-national, was released from Evin jail in Tehran on March 17 as part of measures to help Iran tackle the Covid-19 outbreak.
She has been in prison for more than four years after being accused of seeking to undermine the regime.
Her family say the charges have been fabricated and she is being used by the regime as a pawn in a wider diplomatic battle with the UK.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe spoke with the prosecutor’s office on Wednesday, the day she was due to return to prison after three previous extensions under the furlough scheme.
“Her furlough from prison has again been extended - until a decision has been made on her clemency,” said her campaign group on Twitter. “She was told no decision has been made on clemency.”
Her father has been asked to attend the prosecutor’s office on Saturday. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe is not allowed to move more than 300 metres from her Iranian parents’ home under the conditions of her release.
Some 100,000 prisoners were given temporary freedom from Iran’s crowded jails and many have since returned. Another 10,000 have been promised clemency.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe is one of 125 identified security prisoners who is eligible for permanent release under the terms of the programme ordered by supreme leader Ali Khamenei in March, according to Iran Prison Atlas, a database of prisoners compiled by a US-based group.
The charity worker was detained in April 2016 as she prepared to return to Britain after visiting her parents with her young daughter. She was jailed for five years.
News of the extension came in the week that the UK’s Foreign Office rejected an appeal for London’s ambassador to Iran to visit her while under house arrest in Tehran. The Foreign Office was reportedly concerned that a visit by the ambassador could risk angering Iran.
The family's MP, Tulip Siddiq, said that the uncertainty over her release was causing "unimaginable stress" and urged the UK government to step up efforts to make the furlough permanent.
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Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
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World Cup warm up matches
May 24 Pakistan v Afghanistan, Bristol; Sri Lanka v South Africa, Cardiff
May 25 England v Australia, Southampton; India v New Zealand, The Oval
May 26 South Africa v West Indies, Bristol; Pakistan v Bangladesh, Cardiff
May 27 Australia v Sri Lanka, Southampton; England v Afghanistan, The Oval
May 28 West Indies v New Zealand, Bristol; Bangladesh v India, Cardiff
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
The%20specs
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The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
The specs
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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Torque: 175Nm
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The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
