Prison authorities refuse to allow Nazanin Zaghari to undergo additional cancer screening
The British newspaper Mirror reported that prison authorities refused to send Nazanin Zaghari to the hospital for examinations after cancer cells were found in her breast.
The newspaper quoted Richard Ratcliffe, Nazanin's husband, as saying that the failure to diagnose Nazanin's illness, which is in its 1,000th day of imprisonment, is very worrying for them and other family members.
Nazanin Zaghari's husband has explained that lumps were recently found in her breast, and a correct diagnosis requires a repeat mammogram and MRI, but prison officials are not allowing it.
Meanwhile, Islamic Republic authorities have also refused to issue a visa to travel to Iran for Richard Ratcliffe.
This comes after British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt accused the Islamic Republic of holding Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a dual Iranian-British citizen, hostage for "diplomatic purposes."
Jeremy Hunt said in an interview with BBC Radio 4 on Friday, referring to Nazanin Zaghari's 40th birthday: "She has been in prison for more than half of her daughter's life. It is terrible and unjust."
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at the airport in April 2016 as she attempted to leave Iran. She was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of participating in a “soft coup.”
Last week, Gholamhossein Esmaeili, the head of Tehran's judiciary, said about Ms. Zaghari's new case: "Nazanin Zaghari's new case is still open and it is not clear whether she will be convicted or acquitted, or what punishment she will receive if convicted."
The Revolutionary Guards accused Ms. Zaghari of teaching journalism to foreign media outlets, but she denied the accusations, and the Thomson Reuters Foundation officially announced that she was a simple employee in the foundation's administrative department.
Previously, some media outlets had reported that Britain intended to release Nazanin Zaghari in exchange for paying its debts to Iran, which date back to the 1970s and the contract to purchase Chieftain tanks. The implementation of this contract was suspended after the revolution and following the "occupation of the American embassy", and later the Hague Court ruled that Britain must pay Iran $500 million.
Both Iran and Britain have denied reports of a connection between the payment of this money and the release of Nazanin Zaghari, but last year the British newspaper The Telegraph reported that London intended to show its "good faith" to Tehran by paying this money.
The dual-national prisoner has suffered repeated nervous breakdowns in Evin Prison. Nazanin Zaghari's deteriorating health prompted a statement from Kate Allen, UK director of Amnesty International, who said, "What the Islamic Republic authorities are doing to Nazanin Zaghari is extremely cruel."
Western analysts say the Islamic Republic uses dual nationals as hostages to extract money and privileges from Western governments.
Source: Voice of America
