#164 Margaret Owen: On Hunger Strike for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

FiLiA

Margaret Owen, 89, began a hunger strike on November 16, 2021 to raise awareness to the imprisonment of Iranian-British charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

In early April 2016, Nazanin visited Iran to introduce her one-year-old daughter to her parents. She was accused by the Iranian government of being spy and “plotting to topple the government.” On November 2017, then British Foreign Secretary at the time and current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, accused Zaghari-Ratcliffe of “training journalists” while on her trip. There is no evidence for any of the charges brought against her and she denies any wrongdoing. However, Boris Johnson’s comments were used by the Iranian government against her.

On 25 October 2021, Nazanin’s husband, Richard, started a hunger strike in front of the Foreign Office in London that went on for 21 days. Margaret Owen, along with other campaigners, is continuing the hunger strike in solidarity to keep up the pressure and the media attention on Nazanin’s case.