Philip Whiteside, news reporter
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a British-Iranian woman who has been in jail in Iran for five years.
The Iranian regime claims she was working against the state when she was arrested on a visit to the country to see her parents with her daughter.
Here is a timeline of events that have left a family split apart and resulted in diplomacy at the highest level.
October 2010 Joins Thomson Reuters Foundation
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe joins the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charity that says it promotes “socio-economic progress” and the rule of law through a series of training programmes.
Before the move, she worked for BBC Media Action for around 18 months, the corporation’s international development charity which uses “the power of media and communication to help reduce poverty and support people in understanding their rights”.
June 2014 Birth of her daughter
Gabriella, the only daughter of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her husband Richard, is born in the UK and grows up in St John’s Wood, north London. In the next 22 months, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her daughter travel to Iran four times to see family.
17 March 2016 Travel to Iran
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe travels to Iran to visit her family for Nowruz, the Persian New Year festival, with her then 22-month-old daughter.
3 April 2016 Arrested at airport
As she and her daughter prepare to board a flight back to the UK at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport, she is approached by members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and arrested.
Her daughter’s passport is confiscated.
The reason for her arrest is not made public.
She is held the day after British-Iranian relations are partially restored following the announcement of a general framework outlining the broad parameters of a nuclear deal.
Relations had broken down in 2011 when the British embassy was stormed by students supportive of the regime, during a demonstration against sanctions.
16 June 2016 'Regime change' claims
Press TV, the state-owned and controlled English and French language Iranian news channel, claims Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was involved in “plans for ‘regime change’ in Iran”, allegations she denies.
An article says she was identified after a large intelligence operation and was one of the “liaison officers of networks hostile to Iran abroad”.
Press TV’s “source” tells the channel she “carried out several missions” and “conducted her criminal activities under the direction of media and intelligence services of foreign governments”.
Gabriella, meanwhile, goes to live with her grandparents.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is prevented from seeing her daughter for 38 days. The first time she is brought to the jail, Gabriella is forced to wear a sack over her head to disguise where her mother is being held, the Evening Standard reported.
July 2016 Three others indicted
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe participated in the “design and implementation of cyber and media projects to cause the soft toppling of the Islamic Republic”, allegations she denies.
It also reveals that two other dual nationals and a foreigner have been indicted.
They are; Homa Hoodfar, an Iranian-Canadian woman who is a retired university professor, Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman, and Nizar Zakka, a permanent US resident from Lebanon who has done work for the US government.
9 August 2016 PM raises case with Iran's President
Theresa May raises concerns about the plight of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe with Iran’s President Rouhani.
During a phone conversation, the PM mentions a number of consular cases involving dual nationals, including that of the 37-year-old charity worker.
A Downing Street spokesman said Mrs May stresses the importance of resolving such cases as the two countries work on forming closer ties.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe meanwhile is receiving no direct consular assistance from the UK as Iran refuses to recognise dual nationality and denies foreign ministries access.
6 September 2016 Sentenced to five years
After spending 150 days in detention, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is sentenced to five years in prison on charges that “remain secret”.
An online petition calling for her release passes 800,000 signatures.
The Minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, meets the family to reassure them the Foreign Office will continue to do all it can.
9 September 2016 Richard Ratcliffe finds out his wife won't be released
The 37-year-old mother calls her husband Richard and reveals she is due to be held in jail for several more years, expressing her disbelief at the sentence.
She begs him to do whatever he can to secure her release and tells him: “They said that sometimes you can settle cases on appeal through payment – but not often cases like mine. So I don’t know how long it will go on taking.”
She is being held in the notorious Evin prison, a jail described by freed inmates as a “black hole”, where political prisoners are tortured.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s lawyer is instructed to appeal against the decision but no date for the appeal is set.
April 2017 Iran upholds five-year sentence
Iran’s supreme court upholds the five-year prison sentence, giving her no more legal options to overturn it.
Richard Ratcliffe calls for the government to step up its efforts to free her.
Theresa May raises her plight with Iran, according to a Foreign Office statement.
August 2017 Nazanin in a 'fragile state'
Richard Ratcliffe tells Sky News his wife is in a “fragile state” and has seen a psychiatrist who diagnosed she has advanced depression.
Mr Ratcliffe says: “She’s been talking in very dark terms about what she might do.”
His comments come ahead of a visit to Iran by Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt, at which he raises her case.
September 2017 May speaks to Rouhani again
Theresa May speaks to Iranian president Hassan Rouhani about the case on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
October 2017 Two more charges
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is told she faces two more charges, with prosecutors alleging she joined organisations which specifically worked to overthrow the government.
The Guardian says Tehran’s prosecutor-general claimed that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained because she was running a “BBC Persian online journalism course”.
The Iranian regime has a long-standing enmity towards the BBC’s Persian service, which is banned in Iran but reaches people via satellite and on shortwave bandwidths, as well as online.
In the past, the Iranian regime has frozen the assets of its staff and harassed and intimidated their family members, according to the BBC.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is also accused of joining a demonstration outside the Iranian embassy in London, with authorities claiming they have photographic evidence.
1 November 2017 Johnson's big blunder
Boris Johnson appears at a meeting of the House of Commons’ Foreign Affairs Select Committee where he criticises Iran for detaining Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, before saying: “When I look at what Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was doing, she was simply teaching people journalism as I understand it.
“(Neither) Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe nor her family has been informed about what crime she has actually committed. And that I find extraordinary, incredible.”
5 November 2017 Nazanin faces extra 16 years in jail
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is summoned to court in Tehran where the Foreign Secretary’s comments are used as evidence against her, with prosecutors saying she was engaged in “propaganda against the regime”.
The new case is opened up a month before she is eligible for early release.
She could face an extra 16 years in jail.
7 November 2017 Johnson tries to contain his mistake
Boris Johnson announces he plans to visit Iran, after speaking with Iranian foreign minister Javid Zarif in an effort to contain the fallout from his blunder.
The Foreign Office says: “The Foreign Secretary expressed concern that his remarks to the Foreign Affairs Committee were claimed by the Iranian Judiciary High Council for Human Rights to have shed new light on the case.”
Mr Zarif is said to have told Mr Johnson developments in the British-Iranian national’s case were unrelated to his comments.
There are calls for Mr Johnson to be sacked, as he admits he could have been clearer.
12 November 2017 Nazanin on verge of breakdown
A family statement says Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has found new lumps in both her breasts and is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Richard Ratcliffe says the Foreign Secretary’s words have added to his wife’s despair, but says it would not be in her interest for him to be sacked.
Boris Johnson calls Mr Ratcliffe and agrees to meet. It comes after Mr Johnson’s ally, Michael Gove, compounds his error by saying “I don’t know” when asked what he thinks the charity worker was doing in Iran.
13 November 2017 PM slaps down Johnson and Gove
The prime minister’s spokesman effectively admonishes Mr Johnson and Mr Gove by telling journalists that British government policy is that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was on holiday when she was arrested.
15 November 2017 Johnson meets Richard Ratcliffe
Mr Ratcliffe, after a meeting with Mr Johnson described as “constructive”, reveals the foreign secretary is “keen” for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband to accompany him to Iran.
It emerges Gabriella can no longer speak English, which makes it difficult for her to converse with her father during phone calls.
16 November 2017 Govt mulls offering Iran £450m
Sky News is told the government is considering settling an outstanding £450m debt with Iran as part of attempts to secure Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release.
The sum is owed after Britain received the money for an order of 1,750 tanks in the late 1970s.
But only 185 were delivered when the order was cancelled in the wake of Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.
There is much debate over whether the cash should be viewed as a ransom payment – something the UK say it does not pay.
27 November 2017 Nazanin faces more allegations
Iran makes fresh allegations against Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, including that she set up a spy network.
The charity worker was accused of recruiting for the banned BBC Persian Service and “opposition cyber teams”.
Iranian state TV, which showed what it claimed to be various documents amounting to proof, said: “The BBC team in which Nazanin was a member designed, programmed and executed the Iran Project from 2007 for three years.
“According to this document, Nazanin had eight important duties in the fields of training and recruitment for the purpose of launching the BBC Persian service, espionage institutions and opposition cyber teams.
“Nazanin Zaghari cooperated with the BBC channel until 2010 but quit the BBC after the end of her project and joined a more serious project.”
10 December 2017 Boris visits Iran for 'long meeting'
The Foreign Office says Boris Johnson “spoke frankly” with his Iranian counterpart during a two-hour meting in Tehran.
The then-foreign secretary was said to have expressed “grave concerns” over jailed Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
Sky’s diplomatic editor Dominic Waghorn said: “It was quite a long meeting, and it was followed by a meeting with the speaker of the parliament and other Iranian officials.
“It was a pre-planned visit, so there were lots of issues that were being discussed, but obviously very close to Boris Johnson’s heart – and important to his career – is the plight of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, after the mistake he made in front of MPs.”
21 December 2017 Nazanin eligible for early release
Mr Ratcliffe reveals his wife’s Iranian lawyer told her she was “eligible for early release”.
He added that he was “cautious” about the news but hoped Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe would be home soon.
Mr Ratcliffe told Sky News: “There has not been any confirmation to her from the prosecutor so, what she got told, there is still some paperwork to finalise, so hopefully by Christmas, but Christmas is not very far away at all.
“But it’s definitely good news and fingers crossed now.”
22 February 2018 'Financial dispute' keeping Nazanin in jail
Members of the Free Nazanin campaign claim Mrs Zagahri-Ratcliffe only remains in prison because of a financial row between Iran and the UK.
They add that the British-Iranian mother was told her “ongoing imprisonment” was due to a “continuing dispute” between the two countries.
The disagreement was said to centre around the interest rate used to calculate the present value of historic debt.
2 April 2018 Two years behind bars
Mr Ratcliffe criticises the foreign secretary’s unsuccessful bids to have his wife released on the second anniversary of her arrest.
He adds that his Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been suffering panic attacks in her sleep in recent weeks.
Speaking to Sky News he said: “We want to find out what the government thinks her rights are. She is being held because of something the government hasn’t done.
“It is important to establish what obligations it thinks it has.”
21 May 2018 Nazanin pleads for clemency as she faces new charge
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is left “shaken” after being told she is likely to be convicted on a new charge of spreading propaganda.
She denied the charged and pleaded the judge for clemency.
Mr Ratcliffe revealed he had been “quite cross and vocal” with UK authorities at points during her long-running case.
3 August 2018 Jeremy Hunt vows to fight for Nazanin
Boris Johnson’s replacement as foreign secretary says his office will “do everything we can to bring her home”.
Jeremy Hunt was give a painted pebble by Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s family as a reminder of his predecessor’s promise to leave “no stone unturned” to free her.
23 August 2018 A joyful reunion
A healthy-looking Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is reunited with her daughter during a three-day release from prison.
It is the first time she has been allowed out of prison since her arrest in April 2016.
She was called in the morning whilst still in her night clothes and was told she had 10 minutes to get ready.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe said: “It will be just awesome for Gabriella to have mummy home finally. We can play with her dolls house, and she can show me her toys.
“The thought of brushing her hair, and giving her a bath, of being able to take her to the park, and feed her, and sleep next to her – it just kills me. It is still so hard to believe.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all when it was mentioned two weeks ago. I didn’t tell Gabriella or for a long time my mum – so if it didn’t happen I would be the only one to suffer.
“I was so emotional to see my grandmother today. I cried so much. I felt so overwhelmed. My dad’s home is not my home – but it is so much better than prison.
“People in the ward were so excited – they sang songs and danced. I baked for them in celebration. It felt like this really could be the beginning of the end.”
26 August 2018 Back to prison despite late plea
Joy quickly turned to heartbreak for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family, when was ordered to return to prison after spending three days with her daughter near Tehran.
She was sent back to her cell after a failed bid to have her temporary release extended.
That was despite being told by the prosecutor’s office at the end of her agreed three-day release that she would not have to return immediately – and then that her extension application had in fact been approved.
But not long after returning from the office to where her daughter has been staying in Damavand, northeast of Tehran, the 41-year-old received a phone call telling her she would have to be back in her cell by sunset.
She went back to the office – this time with daughter Gabriella – and was told she would need to go back to jail for a few days until the extension was signed off.
In a heartfelt bid to have the decision reversed, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe reportedly said: “How can you take me away from my baby, when she needs me?
“I haven’t done anything wrong – you just extended my cellmate’s furlough, and she is serving a longer sentence for bigger crimes. You know I didn’t do anything in the first place.
“I have spent two-and-a-half years in prison, and I haven’t committed any crime.”
Despite the plea, the prosecutor’s office has stood firm on its stance and Mr Ratcliffe confirmed that his wife is now back in her jail cell.
29 August 2018 Taken to prison hospital
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is taken to the hospital wing of the Iranian prison where she is being held.
Richard Ratcliffe says his wife “blacked out”.
He added: “What I do know is that she had a panic attack yesterday in prison and she had another panic attack today, and today she also blacked out, so today she was taken down to the prison clinic and as far as I know that’s where she is still.”
Mr Ratcliffe told Sky’s foreign affairs correspondent Lisa Holland that his wife had been complaining of headaches and that she had been feeling “very very down”.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was also said to have been feeling a numbness in her right arm and was told she has low blood pressure.
19 November 2018 'Stop jailing innocent Britons' – Hunt
Jeremy Hunt warns Iran to stop putting innocent people in prison as he prepared to visit the country for the first time.
The foreign secretary calls on Iran to release people, including charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, as he becomes the first Western foreign minister to visit Iran since the US pulled out of a nuclear deal and imposed sanctions on Tehran.
“We must see those innocent British-Iranian dual nationals imprisoned in Iran returned to their families in Britain,” Mr Hunt says.
3 January 2019 Hunger strike
The mother-of-one plans to go on a hunger strike in January in protest at being denied access to a doctor and medication.
She plans to carry out the strike alongside prominent human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, who has been charged several times over her criticism of the Iranian government.
“We are urging for an immediate action to be taken,” the two say in a joint letter.
The hunger strike is thought to have lasted three days.
11 January 2019 Arrest video released
Footage of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe being arrested in Iran is released as part of what her husband describes as a “cruel psychological game”.
The footage, which was broadcast on Iranian state TV, shows the British-Iranian pushing a baggage cart along at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran before handing her passport over to an unidentified man in April 2016.
He asks the mother-of-one for her name and whether she has all her luggage, and she is then questioned inside a room at the airport by a representative of the public prosecutor, who tells her he has an arrest warrant.
Richard Ratcliffe says he believed the footage had been released in response to his wife’s threat to go on hunger strike, as she protests against being denied access to a doctor and medication.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe saw the video in prison, he says, bringing the “violation” of her arrest back to her.
14 January 2019 'Told to spy for Iran'
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is left “terrified” after refusing to spy on Britain for Iran, her husband says.
The British-Iranian detainee was said to have been visited by revolutionary guards on 29 December and asked to go undercover.
Speaking at a news conference in London, Richard Ratcliffe says his wife was told that agreeing to the request could see her released after more than 1,000 days behind bars.
“What really pushed her over the edge was they tried to make her become a spy for Iran against the UK,” he adds.
7 March 2019 UK grants diplomatic protection
Britain takes its strongest action yet against Iran over the jailing of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe by deciding to grant the British-Iranian dual national diplomatic protection.
It is the first time in living memory that the government has invoked this tool in protest at the treatment of one of its citizens by another state.
The move elevates Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case from a consular issue to a state-to-state matter between London and Tehran.
It comes almost exactly three years since she was arrested at Tehran airport.
Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, says he had not taken the decision lightly. He says it “is an important diplomatic step which signals to Tehran that its behaviour is totally wrong”.
“It is unlikely to be a magic wand that leads to an overnight result,” he adds. “But it demonstrates to the whole world that Nazanin is innocent and the UK will not stand by when one of its citizens is treated so unjustly.”
31 March 2019 Mother's Day card keeps pressure on
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband Richard delivers a Mother’s Day card to the Iranian embassy in London signed by nearly 20,000 of her supporters, along with 155 bunches of tulips – symbolising the number of weeks she had been held up until that point.
In Persian culture, tulips – which are part of the national flag – signify eternal love but are also associated with the martyrdom, the revolution and the counter-revolutionary movement.
24 April 2019 Prisoner swap mooted
Hopes are raised when Iran’s foreign minister suggests Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe could be released from jail as part of a prisoner swap.
Javad Zarif says there are Iranians in jails in the US and Australia on “phoney” charges.
So far, Iran is refusing to recognise Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s diplomatic status.
17 May 2019 Warning to British-Iranian dual nationals
The UK warns British-Iranian dual nationals not to go to Iran, citing their “continued arbitrary detention and mistreatment” and the fact that they face an “unacceptably higher risk” of arbitrary detention.
It also warns Iranians in the UK who return to visit family and friends in Iran.
29 May 2019 Debt argument 'nonsense'
Richard Ratcliffe dismisses an argument said to have been put forward by the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) for not paying a debt of £400m that the UK owes to Iran as nonsense.
The Guardian has reported that the MoD does not want the money repaid because it will end up in the hands of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is designated a terror group by the US, but not by the UK.
The debt is said to be one of the real reasons Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being detained.
June 2019 Simultaneous hunger strike
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe engages in her third hunger strike in jail and her husband Richard carries out a simultaneous one outside the Iranian embassy in London.
The hunger strike lasts 15 days.
30 June 2019 Johnson rejects responsibility
Boris Johnson, then a Tory leadership hopeful, rejects any sense of responsibility for the continuing plight of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, despite incorrectly saying that she was “teaching people journalism” while he was foreign secretary.
17 July 2019 Nazanin moved to mental health ward
Outgoing prime minister Theresa May said she was “extremely concerned” following reports Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been moved to a mental health ward.
She again called for her release, after Mr Ratcliffe said he and her family had not had any contact with her for 48 hours.
23 July 2019 Psychiatric ward like 'torture'
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is returned to prison after what she describes as “proper torture”, being held in solitary confinement on he psychiatric ward of a prison hospital where she was chained to a bed.
11 October 2019 Gabriella returns to the UK
Gabriella, the daughter of Mr Ratcliffe and Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, takes part in a news conference as she arrives back in the UK, having spent the previous three-and-a-half years in Iran so she can be close to her mother.
She sits on her father’s lap in as he tells reporters about his joy at having her back in his arms, but also the “turmoil” of speaking on the phone to his wife who was “really upset”.
The couple decided she should go home to the UK so she could start school.
Mr Ratcliffe says: “She’s a bit shy, a bit traumatised, she hasn’t seen daddy for a long time. And there’s a language problem, so she takes a while to feel safe.
“She has promised mummy she is going to be brave.”
Mr Ratcliffe says he fears his wife’s condition will deteriorate further as a result of Gabriella being absent.
February 2020 Coronavirus hits Iran hard
After coronavirus spreads out of China, hitting Iran hard, the Iranian regime is forced to decide what to do about prisoners in jails where the virus can pass quickly from person to person.
2 March 2020 Nazanin yet to be tested
Mr Ratcliffe says Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is yet to be tested for COVID-19, despite showing symptoms.
Iran’s foreign ministry had told the Foreign Office that she had been tested.
18 March 2020 Nazanin put on home leave as situation in Iran worsens
As the situation in Iran worsens, another 85,000 prisoners are released – a week after an initial 70,000 were freed.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is among the second batch to be moved out of their jails, but her husband says that unlike the others given temporary freedom, she has to wear an ankle tag to monitor her movements, which her parents had to pay for.
She is unable to move more than 300 metres from her parent’s home.
29 March 2020 'Clemency being considered'
There are reports that, following the regime’s decision to extend her prison leave, she may be being considered for clemency.
21 April 2020 Leave from prison extended
Her leave from prison is extended for another month, as the Iranian government continues to battle the COVID-19 outbreak.
27 May 2020 Ayatollah 'will free 3,000 prisoners'
The news breaks that she may be among 3,000 prisoners who Iran’s supreme leader has announced will be granted clemency.
Her husband Richard Ratcliffe tells Sky News he is “hopeful” that she will be included, saying: “It feels like we’re quite close.”
8 September 2020 New charges levelled
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is reported to have appeared before a branch of Iran‘s Revolutionary Court in the country’s capital on new charges, according to a local TV report.
Her MP Tulip Siddiq says she is due to stand trial again and the Foreign Office says new charges are “indefensible and unacceptable”.
9 September 2020 'Bargaining chip' allegation ahead of trial postponement
Mr Ratcliffe tells Sky News his wife is being held as a “bargaining chip” amid a £400m dispute between the UK and Iran and the new charges are the latest in a “game of cat and mouse”.
Less than a week later it emerges the new trial has been postponed.
30 October 2020 'Expect to return to prison'
The UK expresses “grave concern” after the British Iranian is summoned to court on 2 November and told to expect to return to prison.
The court hearing goes ahead with no British officials allowed to be present, but the hearing is adjourned before she can present her defence.
Consequently, she does not have to return to jail.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab describes the new charges as “appalling”.
30 January 2021 Call for 'consequences'
Richard Ratcliffe calls for “consequences” for Iran if Nazanin is not released on 7 March when her five-year sentence is up.
It comes amid growing calls to describe her treatment as being a hostage, rather than a prisoner.
6 March 2021 Computer says 'yes' but arrangements not clarified
Mr Ratcliffe tells Sky News he still doesn’t know if she will be free when her sentence ends the next day.
He says: “The judiciary have confirmed on the computer and shown that yes, indeed tomorrow is the last day and she should be released, but the arrangements haven’t been clarified.”
7 March 2021 Tag removed but not free to come home
On the day her five-year sentence is up, it is reported that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has had her electronic tag removed and hopes are raised that she will be freed.
But she is told she will face a court date in coming days, causing confusion about her ongoing fate. Despite being released, she is not allowed to leave the country.
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