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Dec 7, 2024 | 
ft.com | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Like most people, I have always associated freedom with political or civil rights. It used to be an abstract concept to me.
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Nov 12, 2024 | 
longfordtrust.org | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
‘The Legacy of Evin Prison: Reflections on What I Learned About Prison in Iran’Nazanin Zaghari-RatcliffeChurch House, London, Monday 11th November, 2024Longford Trust Annual Lecture – November 2024 from The Longford Trust. Lecture transcriptWhat I Learned in Iran about PrisonBy Nazanin Zaghari-RatcliffeGood evening, everyone. It is an honour to be standing here tonight, which frankly, feels so unreal.
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Nov 4, 2024 | 
indexoncensorship.org | Jo-Ann Mort |Sarah Dawood |Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Patriotism hasn’t been a standard stance of the Democrats, and especially not of their left flank. But front and centre issues in this election – freedom and democracy – are two words that have become the mantra of the Democratic standard bearer, Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Nov 1, 2024 | 
indexoncensorship.org | Sarah Dawood |Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe |Arezou Eghbali
Hello, readers. This week, the news in the UK has been dominated by the Budget, alongside anticipation of next week’s USA presidential election. Whilst a lot of media attention has been focused on the Chancellor’s number crunching, the Prime Minister also started the week with a proclamation of the importance of press freedom.
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Oct 31, 2024 | 
indexoncensorship.org | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe |Toomaj Salehi |Arezou Eghbali |Sarah Dawood
Protesters in the streets of Paris show solidarity with the Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi. Photo by MAXPPP / Alamy Stock Photo / Alamy Live News For many of us, specifically those who have experienced prison, Toomaj Salehi is the symbol of resistance against an autocratic regime’s oppression, and whose honest and unapologetic voice cuts through the sheer reality of a society suffering from repression and corruption.
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Sep 30, 2024 | 
indexoncensorship.org | Georgia Beeston |Jo-Ann Mort |Sarah Dawood |Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
In his book You have not yet been defeated, the 42-year-old British-Egyptian imprisoned activist, software engineer, and writer, Alaa Abd el-Fattah writes: “I am in prison because the regime wants to make an example of us.” Yesterday, 29 September 2024, was due to be the end of his five-year sentence – but as this milestone passes with him still behind bars, his words remain true.
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Jun 25, 2024 | 
indexoncensorship.org | Jo-Ann Mort |Sarah Dawood |Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe |Arezou Eghbali
Political parties in the UK are now in the final stages of campaigning as they approach the general election on 4 July 2024. During the circus of the campaigning season, important issues can and have slipped through the cracks. We, the undersigned, want to ensure that the next government, whoever it may be, will stand firmly on the side of free expression. Back in January, Rishi Sunak laid out key targets he wished to deliver before the end of his term, with varying degrees of success.
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Nov 27, 2023 | 
theguardian.com | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
I spent nine months in solitary confinement with very little access to anything. Being claustrophobic, solitary was a horrific experience. After five months my family could bring me books. When the guard opened the door and handed over the books to me, I felt liberated; I could read books, they could take me to another world, and that could transform my life. Dr Thorne by Anthony Trollope was the first book I read.
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Nov 16, 2023 | 
standard.co.uk | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe pictured by her daughter GabriellaGabriella RatcliffeOn October 6, the Nobel prize committee awarded Narges Mohammadi, the human rights activist imprisoned in Iran, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. That seems long ago given all we have witnessed since. This was the second time an Iranian woman has been awarded such an honourable prize within the course of 20 years. The first, Shirin Ebadi, is in exile, and Narges as the second sits in prison.
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Oct 5, 2023 | 
inkl.com | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
They spoke on the concluding day of the One Young World summit which brought thousands of young people from more than 190 countries to the city. Ms Safi encouraged the young people to palace themselves in the shoes of those struggling in the world. “The first thing is for them … don’t think you’re powerless,” she said. “Don’t think you can’t do anything, you can do a lot because you’re a human being. And each human being is a high value in the world. You are the power of the world.
