UAE pardons PHD academic

Felice where did you get the information about NZR that she was an investigative journalist who had criticised the regime for years? I can’t find anything like that

What I always find strange about these imprisonment cases is how there are always those who delight in their release without having any idea as to whether they are guilty or not.

I don't know this man or the Iranian woman, so it would be impossible for me to say whether one (or both) of them should be released.

I sometimes think they are either very naive or there is more to it.
An investigative journalist who has critisised the regime for years and then visits and has meetups with other journalists surely must know she is asking for trouble.

Also the daft American Missionary who was killed by the tribesmen on the Indian island.
He could have wiped those people out one of the reasons to keep them secure is to stop 'modern' dieases. They have no immunity.

My thoughts exactly Teetime .

I expect we have exchanged him for someone they want back.

I do too gillybob.

I think there was certainly more to this than we will ever know.

Thanks for that background information, BlueBelle

As for BJ and the Nazanin case, BJ is a proven liar. I don't think that what he said is even worth considering..

The Nazanin case is also very strange.

The story from the family is that she had gone back to her own country to visit her parents, and to introduce her child to them. All very innocent sounding, yet she has been imprisoned for being a spy.

Boris Johnson said she was training journalists out there, but then backtracked on that.

All very strange.

It is good news for his family, a huge relief. But I just hope work is going on for Nazari behind the scenes, it's like cat and mouse releasing her and then dragging her back inside.

I do think he’s been playing with fire though all his work and thesis etc seem to be on very delicate subjects involving Arms and politics of the area The Spring rising The Muslim Brotherhood etc He s worked for various companies in analyse etc of these problems He knows the countries well his parents worked out there he spent all his school holidays there and has lived and worked there in later life as has his wife and yet he knows none of the language
I m not saying UAE was correct or he was wrong just simply that it’s not just a young British student who happened to be there doing a thesis and was accused out of the blue

I am so pleased that he is to be released but what a strange episode. I wonder what is behind it. To have imposed such a draconian sentence and then to suddenly reverse it seems very odd to me.