Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe files harassment claim against Iran's Revolutionary Guards
The detained dual national complained that the Revolutionary Guards, who have no authority over monitoring her furlough, harassed her at her home claiming she breached her ankle tag
2 min read
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has spent over four years in detention [Getty]
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian dual national detained in Iran, has filed a complaint against the Revolutionary Guards, claiming the military unit has been harassing her at her parents' home in Tehran where she remains under house arrest, according to a report in The Guardian.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe reported the incident to the Tehran prosecutors' office, saying that an anonymous individual rang the house landline at 7am on Tuesday, falsely accusing her of breaching the tag she was made to wear when she was granted furlough from prison.
The complaint was also obtained by the UK Foreign Office.
She said that Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officers came to the house that morning, accusing her of breaking the tag and threatening to take her back to the revolutionary courts.
The family refused to let the officer into the house, as Zaghari-Ratcliffe said only the tagging centre - not the IRGC - had the authority to monitor her movements on furlough or the knowledge that her tag was malfunctioning.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe reported that she recognised the individual who came to the house as an IRGC officer who had taken her to court to face a second set of charges two weeks ago.
In her report, Zaghari-Ratcliffe called on the Tehran deputy prosecutor Amin Waziri, responsible for all liaisons with Evin jail detainees and their families, to "have the courage" to talk to her, rather than "hiding away from the game of cat and mouse being played by the IRGC", according to The Guardian.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe reported the incident to the Tehran prosecutors' office, saying that an anonymous individual rang the house landline at 7am on Tuesday, falsely accusing her of breaching the tag she was made to wear when she was granted furlough from prison.
The complaint was also obtained by the UK Foreign Office.
She said that Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officers came to the house that morning, accusing her of breaking the tag and threatening to take her back to the revolutionary courts.
The family refused to let the officer into the house, as Zaghari-Ratcliffe said only the tagging centre - not the IRGC - had the authority to monitor her movements on furlough or the knowledge that her tag was malfunctioning.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe reported that she recognised the individual who came to the house as an IRGC officer who had taken her to court to face a second set of charges two weeks ago.
In her report, Zaghari-Ratcliffe called on the Tehran deputy prosecutor Amin Waziri, responsible for all liaisons with Evin jail detainees and their families, to "have the courage" to talk to her, rather than "hiding away from the game of cat and mouse being played by the IRGC", according to The Guardian.
Read also: France 'very worried' for hunger-striking Iran rights lawyer
The prosecutor's office agreed to meet her to discuss her case, to which she said she would only attend with her lawyer, and if she was accompanied by prison guards and not IRGC officers.
She said the IRGC officers had no jurisdiction in this case.
The tagging office explained that there could have been a technical issue with her tag. However the Zaghari family said they were not convinced as any call about a problem with the tag would have come from the tagging office, not IRGC officers knocking at her door.
The 41-year-old has spent more than four years in jail or under house arrest since being arrested in the Iranian capital in April 2016 while on a visit to see relatives with her young daughter.
An employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation - the media organisation's philanthropic arm - denied sedition but was convicted and jailed for five years.
Her husband and local MP have said she is being treated as a "bargaining chip" and a "hostage" against a longstanding UK debt to Iran.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected
Follow the Middle East's top stories in English at The New Arab on Google News
More In News
