British woman jailed in Tehran back in court on new charge

AFP  |  London 

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman jailed in for two years, has appeared in court to face a new charge, her husband said today.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was summoned to a court in on May 19, according to a statement from Richard Ratcliffe, who runs the Free campaign group.

The charge is for "spreading propaganda against the regime", which she denies, he said.

Yesterday, she was allowed to speak to the British to Tehran,

"This is the first time that she has been allowed any contact with the embassy in over two years," he said.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual national who works for the -- the media organisation's philanthropic arm -- was arrested at airport in April 2016.

She is serving a five-year jail sentence for alleged sedition -- a charge she has always denied.

The couple have a three-year-old daughter who is being looked after by Zaghari-Ratcliffe's parents in Tehran.

She has asked for temporary release from prison next month to celebrate her daughter's fourth birthday.

visited in December last year to press for Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release on humanitarian grounds.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Mon, May 21 2018. 15:55 IST