Event: Torture, Tanks, and Liz Truss: Inside the Legal Battle to Free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
On 21 September, the Human Rights Lawyers Association (HRLA) and REDRESS held a discussion on the behind-the-scenes story of what it took to bring Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe home at Hogan Lovells.
After six years trapped in Iran, Nazanin was finally freed and reunited with her husband and daughter in March 2022. Behind this public campaign, her husband Richard Ratcliffe worked with a team of lawyers to pursue several legal strategies for Nazanin’s release.
At this event, Nazanin’s legal team and Richard discussed:
- Their negotiations with five UK Foreign Secretaries
- The legal battle to expose the secret court proceedings about the UK’s £400 million tank debt to Iran
- How they persuaded the UK government to make an unprecedented use of diplomatic protection in Nazanin’s case
- Their legal advocacy to the United Nations
- The UK’s failure to protect Nazanin and other British citizens from torture abroad
- How lawyers can support other cases like Nazanin’s?
Charlie Loudon, International Legal Adviser at REDRESS, chaired the event. The speakers were:
- Richard Ratcliffe, Free Nazanin Campaign
- Penny Madden QC, Partner at Gibson Dunn
- Dr Tatyana Eatwell, Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers
- Leanna Burnard, Legal Officer at REDRESS
You can find out more about Nazanin’s story here.