Iranian-British woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe already severing a five year prison term in Iran is likely to face additional five years in jail after British foreign secretary Boris Johnson said she was a journalist at the time of her arrest.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe was brought back in court Saturday in Teheran for another hearing on charges of “spreading propaganda against the regime”, her husband Richard Ratcliffe indicated on Monday.
The new development came after Boris Johnson told Foreign Affairs Select Committee last week that the 38-year old woman working for Thomson Reuters Foundation had been training journalists at the time of her arrest in 2016.
“If you look at what Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was doing, she was simply teaching people journalism as I understand it, at the very limit,” Johnson said after slamming for the Zaghari-Raticliffe’s detention.
The comments believed untrue sparked condemnations from the 38-year old woman’s family, her employer and the British politicians.
Richard Ratcliffe demanded that the Foreign Secretary correct his statement noting that his wife never travelled to Iran for work purpose, but for vacation with her toddler daughter.
Thomson Reuters Foundation also rejected Johnson’s comments.
“She is not a journalist and has never trained journalists at the Thompson Reuters Foundation, where she is project manager in my Media Development Team,” said Monique Villa, CEO of the foundation.
“While criticizing the Iranian case against Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the Foreign Secretary sought to explain that even the most extreme set of unproven Iranian allegations against her were insufficient reason for her detention and treatment,” it said.
Iran-UK: British woman faces prolonged prison term over Boris Johson’s reckless comments
