Shocking Account from Family of Dual Nationality Prisoner in Iran; Interrogators Said: We Will Harass Your Family in Britain

The son of Anousheh Ashoori, a British-Iranian dual nationality prisoner, says that during his father’s interrogation, he was threatened that his family in Britain would be “harassed and abused.”

Alika Ashoori, daughter of Anousheh Ashoori, a British-Iranian dual nationality prisoner, said on Monday, July 7, in an interview with Voice of America that this dual nationality prisoner was denied access to a lawyer in the primary court hearing presided over by Judge Solvati, and even after obtaining a lawyer, judicial authorities refused to allow the lawyer access to and review of the case file until the appeal court hearing.

Mr. Anousheh Ashoori is a civil engineer who was arrested in mid-August 2017 when he traveled to Iran to visit and care for his mother. He was later sentenced to 12 years in prison and a fine of 33,000 euros on charges of espionage for Israel; charges that members of Mr. Ashoori’s family say are fabricated.

According to Alika Ashoori, the lawyer, after reviewing the case, noted that there was no evidence in the file of this dual nationality prisoner supporting the espionage charge; however, despite this, Mr. Anousheh Ashoori was convicted of espionage for the state of Israel.

The son of Anousheh Ashoori, a British-Iranian dual nationality prisoner, told Voice of America: “During the four months my father was interrogated, he was repeatedly threatened to confess to the charges. The interrogator said they knew where his family lived and worked, and that the Islamic Republic has agents in Britain who could harass and abuse his family, and if he did not confess to espionage, they would do this [harass and abuse his family].”

Alika Ashoori recalled that according to the British Foreign Office, at least 12 British-Iranian dual nationality prisoners and British citizens are currently imprisoned in Iranian prisons.

Western analysts say the Islamic Republic uses dual nationality individuals as hostages to extract money and concessions from Western governments.

Regarding the reason for the family’s silence at the beginning of Anousheh Ashoori’s arrest, Alika Ashoori told Voice of America: “We did not contact anyone in the first year because we were afraid and did not know whether publicizing it would have a positive or negative effect on my father’s case. And the only reason we contacted the British Foreign Office after a year was that during his arrest, they confiscated my father’s British passport and he was worried that the Islamic Republic would misuse it.”

Alika Ashoori says that since there was no significant progress in her father’s case, the family of this British-Iranian dual nationality prisoner took matters into their own hands and publicized news of his arrest and imprisonment.

Ms. Ashoori also, while referring to the spread of coronavirus in Iranian prisons and expressing concern about her father’s health condition in Evin Prison, said: “The sanitary conditions in the prison were not adequate, and Evin Prison is not prepared from a health standpoint to prevent and combat coronavirus, and to this day, no hygiene supplies, including masks and disinfectant liquid, have been provided to prisoners.”

According to Mr. Ashoori’s son, although this dual nationality prisoner suffers from dental and knee-related medical problems, he has not been given the right to use medical centers outside the prison for treatment, and the family is concerned that Mr. Ashoori’s health may be endangered under prison living conditions.

With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Islamic Republic released some dual nationality citizens, such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, on furlough from prison, but others, such as Anousheh Ashoori and Siamak Namazi, remain imprisoned.

Iran has intensified the detention of foreign and dual nationality citizens in recent years.

The U.S. State Department has repeatedly condemned the arbitrary and unlawful detention of American citizens and citizens of other countries, including dual nationality Iranians, by the Islamic Republic regime and has called for their immediate and unconditional release.

Source: Voice of America