The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is currently detained in Iran, and what assurances they have received as to her wellbeing.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case with Foreign Minister Zarif on 17 May. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), also raised the case with the Iranian Chargé d’affaires on 18 May. Iran does not recognise dual nationality and denies consular access on those grounds. We understand that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is able to call her family and we welcome the recent news that she was moved out of solitary confinement.