Foreign Secretary grants diplomatic protection to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, British-Iranian citizen arbitrarily detained in Iran

On 7 March 2019, the Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, announced that the United Kingdom would grant Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe diplomatic protection.

Nazanin is a dual British-Iranian citizen who has been arbitrarily detained by Iran since April 2016. The decision comes as Iran has consistently failed to provide Nazanin with crucial medical treatment.

The offer of diplomatic protection is an unequivocal statement by the United Kingdom that Nazanin’s continued detention and treatment by Iran is unacceptable and constitute a flagrant violation of her rights and freedoms. It sends an important signal to Iran that the United Kingdom recognises Nazanin, a dual British-Iranian citizen, as predominantly British and that her treatment by Iran is unacceptable.

Nazanin’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe has been lobbying the United Kingdom to grant her diplomatic protection since 2017. He has been advised and represented throughout by John Dugard SC and Tatyana Eatwell of Doughty Street Chambers, and Alison Macdonald QC of Matrix Chambers, instructed by REDRESS Trust.

See here for further information and here for the two legal opinions provided by John Dugard SC, Alison Macdonald QC and Tatyana Eatwell on the violation of Nazanin’s human rights by Iran and her eligibility for diplomatic protection. 

Twitter handles: @FreeNazanin @DoughtyStIntl  @REDRESSTrust