Iran's ambassador to London summoned in conjunction with Nazanin Zaghari and Narges Mohammadi's hunger strike

A press conference was held in London today with the presence of Shirin Ebadi, Richard Ratcliffe, husband of Nazanin Zaghari, and Monique Villa, director of the Thomas Reuters Institute. On the other hand, the Iranian ambassador to London was summoned to the British Foreign Office.

Narges Mohammadi and Nazanin Zaghari, two political prisoners in Iran, have announced that they will go on a three-day hunger strike starting Monday, January 14, to protest their situation.

On this occasion, a press conference was held in London on the same day, attended by Shirin Ebadi, lawyer and head of the Human Rights Defenders Association, Richard Ratcliffe, husband of Nazanin Zaghari, and Monique Villa, director of the Thomas Reuters Institute, where Nazanin Zaghari works.

At the conference, Ms. Ebadi described Iran’s move to link Nazanin Zaghari’s case to Britain’s previous debt to Iran as a “pirate-like” move. The British government believes that Iran is holding Nazanin Zaghari hostage so that Britain can pay its previous debt to Iran. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has denied any connection between the two issues.

Narges Mohammadi and Nazanin Zaghari are both sick and in need of special medical examinations. According to Shirin Ebadi, “Although the prison doctor has issued approval for the treatment and transfer of the two to medical centers outside the prison, the prosecutor refuses to send them, in accordance with the orders of security officers.”

Narges Mohammadi, the vice president of the Center for Human Rights Defenders, suffers from periodic paralysis of the muscles and also from pulmonary embolism. Ms. Ebadi told DW that Narges Mohammadi takes blood thinners due to pulmonary embolism and that her blood concentration should be tested every two months, but this has not been done for months now.

According to Ms. Ebadi, Nazanin Zaghari also has a lump in her breast that needs to be tested to determine whether it is malignant or benign.

Given their physical condition, a hunger strike could be life-threatening for the two prisoners. However, according to Shirin Ebadi, “a strike is the last thing they can do to draw the attention of the Iranian authorities to their grave physical condition.”

Ms. Ebadi says: "The situation in Iranian prisons is such that it seems as if the Iranian government has prepared the silent and gradual death of political and ideological prisoners."

According to the executive regulations of the Prisons Organization, if prisoners require specialized treatment, they must be sent to hospitals or medical centers outside the prison after approval by the prison doctor.

In a statement issued by the Center for Human Rights Defenders on this occasion, the names of the prisoners who are sick but have been prevented from receiving treatment are announced as follows: Narges Mohammadi, Nazanin Zaghari, Saeed Malekpour, Ahmadreza Jalali, Arash Sadeghi, Mostafa Daneshjo, Mohammad Banazadeh, Hassan Shahreza, Hassan Mumtaz Sarvestani, Saeed Shirzad, Shokofeh Yadollahi, Shima Entesari, Ali Karimi, and Ahmad Barakohi.

Iran's ambassador to London summoned

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt summoned Iran's ambassador to London on Monday over the situation of Nazanin Zaghari, according to Reuters. The move coincided with a press conference in London.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who holds dual Iranian and British citizenship, was arrested and imprisoned at Imam Khomeini Airport in June 2016 with her young daughter while leaving Iran. The Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Agency accused her of spying for Britain, and the Revolutionary Court upheld the charge and sentenced Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to five years in prison .

Iran's ambassador to London, Hamid Baeidinejad, said hours later about the news of his summons by the British Foreign Secretary: "Today, the British Foreign Secretary, by summoning me to the Foreign Office, specifically expressed concern about Ms. Zaghari's condition and the start of her hunger strike."
Despite the news about Zaghari's health, Baeidinejad, in an interview with the IRNA news agency, explained his response to the British Foreign Secretary as follows: "Dual nationals are all considered Iranian citizens and enjoy civil rights. Ms. Zaghari, as an Iranian citizen, has and will continue to enjoy the necessary medical facilities and resources while maintaining her rights in prison."

Source: DW