Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt says the UK “is beginning to look weak” over its failure to protect citizens imprisoned in Iran such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
The 42-year-old British-Iranian dual national, has been detained in Iran since 2016, when she was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government.
She has been afforded diplomatic protection by the UK Government, which argues that she is innocent and that her treatment by Iran failed to meet obligations under international law.
Mr Hunt has written in The Times that for diplomatic protection to have meaning, there had to be consequences for Tehran.
Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt says the UK “is beginning to look weak” over its failure to protect citizens imprisoned in Iran such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
The 42-year-old British-Iranian dual national, has been detained in Iran since 2016, when she was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government.
She has been afforded diplomatic protection by the UK Government, which argues that she is innocent and that her treatment by Iran failed to meet obligations under international law.
Mr Hunt has written in The Times that for diplomatic protection to have meaning, there had to be consequences for Tehran.
The ex-Foreign Secretary said they failed to meet international law obligations
Dual British-Iranian national Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been detained since 2016
She denies charges by officials of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government
Ex-Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says the UK is beginning to look weak and is being pushed around over its failure to protect Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
The British-Iranian dual national has been detained in Iran since 2016, when she was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government.
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Iranian officials claim the 42-year-old charity administrator, who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, had been training people to spread propaganda against the country while running a BBC Persian online journalism course. She denies the allegations.
Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt says the UK “is beginning to look weak” over its failure to protect citizens imprisoned in Iran such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
The 42-year-old British-Iranian dual national, has been detained in Iran since 2016, when she was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government.
She has been afforded diplomatic protection by the UK Government, which argues that she is innocent and that her treatment by Iran failed to meet obligations under international law.
Mr Hunt has written in The Times that for diplomatic protection to have meaning, there had to be consequences for Tehran.
“It is not clear to me that there have been any; something that is beginning to make us look weak”, he said. He added: “We must show the world that if you imprison a British citizen on trumped-up charges you will pay a very heavy price because Britain is a major player on the world stage and intends to remain one. “Allowing ourselves to be pushed around like this at the moment of post-Brexit renewal sends the opposite signal.” Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is serving home detention after being furloughed from prison in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Titled
Two Daughters, the video also featured 34-year-old Elika Ashoori, whose father – retired 66-year-old engineer and dual national Anoosheh Ashoori – has been held in Iran since August 2017.