Saving Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Her Husband’s Hunger Strike
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe(Right), pictured with her husband and their daughter. Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held in Iran since 2016. Source: Redress
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a dual Iranian-British national, has been detained in Iran since April of 2016, and currently has no timetable set for her release. Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, has dedicated a hunger strike towards bringing Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe back home, mirroring an earlier hunger strike he performed in June 2021 which reached 15 days. Richard Ratcliffe’s current hunger strike ended at 21 days on Sunday, November 14. Radcliffe chose to end the hunger strike after conferring with his doctor, and is proud to have walked away on his own power. Prior to ending his hunger strike, Ratcliffe acknowledged that it could not last forever, but made it clear that he plans to continue protesting in other ways until there is an acknowledgment from the British government that they are acting swiftly and dedicatedly to bring Zaghari-Ratcliffe back home.
Both Ratcliffe and the British government remain unsure of exactly how to bring Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe back home. Iran has hinted that she could be freed if the UK pays a roughly $400 million dollar debt it has owed Iran since the mid-1970s. The debt stems from an aborted tank sale during the 1970s. The Iranian Shah agreed to purchase the tanks, but his government collapsed in the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The tanks were never delivered, and the current government of Iran, brought into power in the Revolution, seeks a refund. Britain is hesitant to pay the debt, as many human rights groups have expressed concern that the money will be transferred to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, considered by many countries to be sponsors of terrorism. However, members of the British government have told the Guardian that there have been mechanisms established to ensure that the money is paid through humanitarian channels. Iran is eager to receive the money to jumpstart an economy that has been badly damaged by COVID-19 and international sanctions. The UK has publicly acknowledged the debt, and an international arbitration panel has ruled that they are required to pay it. Furthermore, according to a conservative UK government minister via the Guardian, the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, and Defense Secretary all support paying it, however, there has been zero public progress towards doing so. This has frustrated Ratcliffe, who simply wants his wife back home. However, it is not confirmed that paying the debt will bring Zaghari-Ratcliffe back to Britain. When asked if paying the debt would achieve her return, former UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab warned that “it is not clear to me at all and I do not think there should be a quid pro quo.”
Richard Ratcliffe understands that this issue is complicated, however, he is concerned that his wife and the debt are being used as negotiating chips to entice Iran back into the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iranian Nuclear Deal. The British government reportedly wants to use payment of the debt to make Iran agree to nuclear concessions. Iran has openly accused them of using Zaghari-Radcliffe’s detainment as a political tool, as Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh stated that “humanitarian issues must be pursued within a humanitarian context. We are sorry that some people in the UK and other countries have made humanitarian issues hostage to other political issues.” Discussions about reviving the Nuclear Deal are scheduled to begin at the end of November, and Britain is deeply committed to achieving an agreement with Iran, especially while they are working with an American president in favor of reviving the nuclear deal.
Several human rights organizations have expressed concerns that Iran is using humanitarian issues and hostages as a political tool as well, and claim that Iran is using Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other foreign nationals’ detainment as leverage for these talks and any other interactions with foreign leaders. At least 8 dual nationals are currently detainedin Iran, and it is believed that Iran is using the promise of their release to extract concessions out of foreign leaders. Some worry that paying the debt, and essentially caving to Iran’s demands, will encourage them to continue this behavior. Richard Ratcliffe remains cognizant of this, but wants the UK to pay the debt, stating “it’s perfectly clear that Nazanin isn’t coming home until they pay that debt.” Ratcliffe plans to continue protesting until his family is reunited.