TO:
Boris Johnson
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
10 Downing Street
London, SW1A 2AA
Cc:
Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary
29 April 2021
Dear Boris Johnson
You are aware of the recent update on the situation of jailed Iranian-British citizen, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been sentenced to another year in jail and a year-long travel ban.
Nazanin was arrested in 2016 and was initially sentenced to five years in jail which was purely based on fabricated charges. She was due to be released in March 2021, but instead, she was charged and sentenced to a further year in jail.
The imprisonment of dual nationals, including Nazanin, is a well-known hostage-taking tactic of the Islamic regime in Iran. These hostages are being used as diplomatic leverage in the negotiations with the European governments and the UK. Nazanin and her family have been subjected to immense pressure, psychological and emotional torture by the Islamic regime in Iran. Nazanin’s daughter, Gabriella, has been deprived of being with her mother for several years which could have a psychological impact on her well-being. Despite all these, the UK government, you as the Prime Minister, and the Foreign Office have not taken serious effective steps to challenge the Islamic regime and apply maximum pressure to release Nazanin from prison. The response by the UK government to the recent sentencing of Naznian was a repetition of the previous responses that the UK government will be working ‘very hard’ to secure Nazanin’s release from prison in Iran. This is and has been, ineffective. Additionally, it is not clear what the UK government is planning to do to secure her release?
The question is what has your government done, and will do, to protect Nazanin as a British citizen? Has your government made a clear demand that Nazanin must be released, immediately and unconditionally, before any types of relationships with the Islamic regime could continue? The UK government is one of the negotiating bodies in Vienna talks on the nuclear deal; has your government demanded the release of Nazanin as a condition to continue the negotiations?
The Islamic regime in Iran has been imprisoning, torturing, and executing thousands of people in Iran in the last 42 years. This regime has no mercy on anyone and they use any means and opportunity to arrest, kidnap, and terror dissidents and dual nationals. The regime in Iran continues to imprison Iranian-British citizens knowing that your government is too lenient with them and that you will not take any serious action to pressure them. This is a regime that will not respond to your gentle reminder. The families of jailed dual nationals in Iran, including the families of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, being left alone, powerless, and let down by your government. It is your duty of care to protect your citizens.
I would like to emphasise on the critical situation of jailed Iranian-British citizens in Iran and urge you, as the Prime Minister, and your government to put the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other jailed Iranian-British citizen as a precondition for your negations and diplomatic relations with the Islamic regime in Iran.
Yours sincerely
Shiva Mahbobi, Spokesperson
Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)
www.cfppi.org
