Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

we do forget how truly evil these repressive regimes are.
So sad for this woman and her family.
I did once see a film, made in Iran about the watching/spying that goes on there of ordinary citizens that the state are suspicious of.
It was very unpleasant to even see the film.
The people living there want their country to be free again.
Can't blame them for that.

Sorry - the petition is on www.change.org

There is a Petition on change.com to free Nazanin - please sign it.

If Brexit Party MEPs abstained because they didn't want to make the situation worse, why did the Brexit Party MEP Belinda de Lucy argue in a speech in the EP before the vote for sanctions against Iran?

Rather than playing down the situation, the Brexit Party is in reality in favour of escalating the tension.

oh yes, for sure.

Okay Jura, no problem, we agree to differ on that point. But I know we agree that hopefully she will be released sooner rather than later.

Joelsnan, yes, I see that.

However, I am as sure as anyone can be- that that was NOT the motivation of Brexit party ...

Thank you Jura, I agree, I’m sure she wasn’t/isn’t a spy, but I think that’s what the Iranians are saying. I’m as sure as anyone can be that she was simply visiting her family, and I think you and others are right in that it most probably was her job that they didn’t like.
I’m not sure about the Brexit parties motive for their abstentions, I don’t hold the view that it is a racist party, but I know many do. I think it was because they didn’t want to virtue signal and thereby cause her any further problems. The diplomats must try their best, quietly and without fuss, to get her freed. The case reminds me of when it took years to get the British journalist and Irish journalist freed from Beirut, I think they were called John McCarthy and Brian Keegan, or something quite similar. We have to put our faith in the diplomats, but the wheels of diplomacy grind exceedingly slowly. I do hope she is released soon, but whatever our views on why the Brexit Party abstained, I think we can all agree on that.

I should imagine the Brexit party MEPs abstained simply because they, like the rest of us, have no idea if this Iranian woman is innocent or guilty.

There are always lots of comments on threads like this saying 'Poor woman. She has done nothing wrong', stated as if it is a fact.

Of course the official line from the family is that she was just visiting her parents with her small child, but we can't be sure that is the whole story can we?

jura2
You miss the point.
If it was a British born white woman in Iran then Iran could not treat her as an Iranian as she was not born there and everyone could call foul play and the Brexit MEPs should have called for her release.
But
Nazarin is a born Iranian, considered to have committed a crime (we assume not), in Iran, was tried an sentenced by Iranian law. To Iran this is nobody's business but Iran.
Just as if Nazrin was born British, married an Iranian and lived there a while but when visiting Britain was perceived to have committed a crime in UK, was tried and sentenced in UK. Would our legal system accept outside interference in an internal matter...I very much doubt it and I think there would be a high level of offence.

maddyone- the Brexit party has show itself for being anti-immigrants and many have shown to be racists- in short. I am pretty sure they would not have abstained for a 'British born and bred white woman'.

maddyone
I do not for one minute think she was a spy. I think it was as a result of her teaching journalism sponsored by Thomson Reuters that Iran saw as the problem.
Their media is so tightly regulated that they would view her as a potential threat even if she was only in Iran visiting family.
I can only surmise that they may have thought that she was there to covertly agitate for more freedom of their press.
I doubt she was, but that just my opinion.

You may be right Joelsnan, but does that make her a spy as Iran is claiming? To my mind that isn’t the case, but who knows how the Iranians view these things! The only Iranians I’ve ever met have been (lovely people in every case) pretty well signed up to the western lifestyle. Nobody wore anything other than western clothing, and no headscarves. But that doesn’t tell us how Iranian Government thinks/works.
Jura, what is it that is much worse please? You need to explain to me please.

The issue may be that what BJ blurted was correct, but not being pushed because it was known to be contra to Iran’s politics. If Nazarin was working for the Thomson-Reuters foundation (as seems to be the case), this is apparently a philanthropic media oriented org, pushing a western agenda which to many in the west may be seen as enabling independent news delivery. However places such as Iran would probably view this as a threat to their authority. their ideology and may not conform to Irans cultural sensibilities.
www.trust.org/about-us/HISTORY

agreed, not virtue signalling, much much worse

Why would the Brexit Party MEPs want to virtue signal anyway? By abstaining how is that virtue signalling? What is the virtuous message they want to convey? Could someone please explain?

No, I don’t think the Brexit MEPs are virtue signalling, but I do think the MEPs from other countries are virtue signalling. This situation has got absolutely nothing to do with the EU and everything to do with Britain and Iran. Iran will not like seeing other countries ‘ganging up’ against them and their policies and will most likely harden their attitude. It is not helpful to Nazarin and her family.

More like attention seeking (IMO).....

I agreeJoelsnan that this is a very delicate situation with a volatile administration, and I assume that diplomats have been quietly and delicately working behind the scenes doing their best to get this poor lady, and others out of prison, and all done without the Iranian administration losing face. What cannot be denied though, even by the most fervent fan, is that Johnson made it far worse when he was Foreign Secretary. I do wonder though, by abstaining, are Brexit MEPs inferring that they know better than other MEPs, are they virtue signalling?

Labiak
Maybe they were aware that if they had voted with the motion this would jeopardise any hope of Nazarins or-any other activists release.
Many place western sensibilities into these situations when they do not fit.
One thing that part of the world does mot like is perceived interference or humiliation by the west.

Oh ok Joelsnan. I am still not happy with the Brexit people and think they are there to represent people, not just make fools of themselves by turning their backs on Ode to Joy to get Britain out of Europe, surely they should be doing other things as well? Silly me, fancy thinking Ms Widdecombe would have any sensitivity.

It isn't just Nazanin the EU were trying to help but human rights activists; can't have that, can we....

After reading about the rise of the far right in the U.K., and knowing that Farage and others in the BP associate with those of the far right, I am very loathe to attribute rational thought to anything they do.

Labiak
Some are so Brexit obsessed that they cannot see a rational decision when they see it.

Well, quiet diplomacy doesn't seem to be helping this poor woman, does it, although it's preferable to the non quiet diplomacy practiced by Johnson whilst doing his useless stint as foreign secretary. Strange really how it was pretty obvious which people on gransnet would leap to the defence of the brexit MEP's.