155 flowers and 20,000 signatures for the release of Nazanin Zaghari
Friends and family of Nazanin Zaghari-led Iran's embassy in the UK gathered in front of the embassy to lay 155 flowers on Mother's Day. A petition calling for Zaghari's release, with 20,000 signatures, was also placed there.
British-Iranian citizen Nazanin Zaghari has been in prison in Iran for 155 weeks, and the 155 flowers that her friends and family laid in front of the Iranian Embassy in the UK on Sunday, March 31, were a reminder of this time.
In addition to the flowers, a card calling for the release of Nazanin Zaghari, which has been signed by 20,000 people, was placed on the steps of the Iranian embassy in London. The campaign to produce the card and collect signatures was organized by Amnesty International.
Hamid Baeidi, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UK, did not respond directly to the request of Ratcliffe and his entourage, but by publishing a photo of these people on his Twitter, he described the move as “campaigning” and a “media war” against the Iranian government. Baeidi wrote: “Right now, Ratcliffe, the husband of Ms. Zaghari, in alliance with Amnesty International, is staging a protest with several people in front of our country’s embassy, while they have not received public support. But the colorful presence of the media with their live recording capabilities clearly shows what the goal is.”
The presence, complete with flowers and a call for Zaghari's release, took place in front of the Iranian Embassy in London a few days before the third anniversary of her arrest.
Nazanin Zaghari is a project manager for the Thomas Reuters Foundation. She was arrested at Imam Khomeini Airport in April 2016 upon returning from Iran. She had traveled to Iran with her daughter to visit family.
Zaghari was sentenced to five years in prison by the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, on charges of “espionage” and “acting against national security.” Ms. Zaghari and her family, the British government, and Reuters have called the charges baseless.
Nazanin Zaghari is a dual citizen of Iran and Britain, but the Iranian government does not recognize dual citizenship, and judiciary officials say that Ms. Zaghari has been tried and imprisoned in accordance with Iranian law.
Zaghari has recently been allowed to visit her four-year-old daughter, Gabriela, twice a week.
Richard Ratcliffe has expressed concern about his wife's health in prison. He said that Nazanin's condition has deteriorated and she is suffering from depression and nervous breakdowns.
In mid-March, the British government announced that it would provide “diplomatic support” to a British-Iranian citizen imprisoned in Iran. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that while this move is not expected to be a miracle, it could help Nazanin Zaghari’s case.
At that time, the Iranian ambassador to the UK reacted angrily to the British government's move. Baeidinejad considered diplomatic support for Nazanin Zaghari to be contrary to international law and wrote in his tweet that such a thing is only possible when it comes to supporting citizens of a country. In other words, the Islamic Republic does not officially recognize Nazanin Zaghari's dual nationality.
Source: DW
