US Briton jailed in Iran on espionage charges is temporarily released from prison to be with family
- According to the Federal Foreign Office, Morad Tahbaz is currently in his family’s house in Tehran
- Tahbaz remained in prison while Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was flown home in March
- The daughter has criticized the British government for “making them believe all along that he would be part of a deal they made for the other hostages”.
A British-American jailed in Iran for espionage has been released from prison with an electronic tag.
Morad Tahbaz, an environmental activist with British and American citizenship, is currently at his family’s home in Tehran, according to the Foreign Office.
“The Tahbaz family have confirmed that Morad has been released from Evin prison while on holiday and is at their home in Tehran,” Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement.
Tahbaz, who also has Iranian citizenship, remained in prison in Tehran while dual British-Iranian nationals Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were flown home in March after the British government repaid a historic debt to Tehran.
Morad Tahbaz (pictured with his daughter Roxanne), an environmental activist with British and American citizenship, is currently at his family’s home in Tehran, according to the Foreign Office
His daughter, Roxanne, has criticized the UK government for “leading her to believe all along that he would be part of a deal they were making for the other hostages”.
‘Yet he’s still there. He was abandoned by his government,” she told AFP.
The British government claims that it cannot secure his release because he is also a US citizen and that the Iranians have also held talks with Washington officials.
“Morad is a trinational and we continue to work closely with the United States to urge the Iranian authorities to release him permanently and allow his departure from Iran,” the State Department said on Wednesday.
A court in Tehran in 2020 sentenced Tahbaz to 10 years in prison for espionage, conspiracy with Washington and harming national security.
“The Tahbaz family have confirmed that Morad has been released from Evin prison while on holiday and is at their home in Tehran,” Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement. Pictured: Roxanna Tahbaz, Morad’s daughter
He and seven others convicted on similar charges worked with the environmental organization Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation to track endangered species and were arrested in early 2018 on suspicion of espionage.
The British Foreign Office told Tahbaz’s family that in releasing the other hostages, Iran had agreed to release Tahbaz under full curfew.
However, he was returned to Tehran’s Evin Prison within 24 hours of his partial release, prompting him to go on a hunger strike.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released on leave in March 2020 but was returned to Evin Prison after two weeks before being fully released two years later.