Word Association (2024)

[webfact]

Britain says Johnson comments do not justify more Iran charges against jailed aid worker

 

FILE PHOTO - Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street, London, Britain, October 24 2017. REUTERS/Mary Turner

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Monday that comments by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson about jailed Iranian-British aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe should not be used by the Islamic Republic to bring additional charges against her.

 

Johnson told the British parliament's foreign affairs committee last Wednesday that Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been teaching people journalism, a statement that the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charity organisation for which she works, said was incorrect.

 

"Last week's remarks by the Foreign Secretary provide no justifiable basis on which to bring any additional charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe," a spokesman for the British Foreign Office said.

 

"While criticising the Iranian case against Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the Foreign Secretary sought to explain that even the most extreme set of unproven Iranian allegations against her were insufficient reason for her detention and treatment."

 

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager, is serving a five-year jail sentence after being convicted of plotting to overthrow Iran's clerical establishment.

 

She was brought again into court on Saturday, three days after Johnson's remarks, and accused by a judge of "spreading propaganda against the regime".

 

"She is not a journalist and has never trained journalists at the Thomson Reuters Foundation where she is project manager in my Media Development team," Monique Villa, Thomson Reuters Foundation chief executive, said in a statement.

 

"I see a direct correlation between this statement by Boris Johnson, who rightly condemned the treatment that Nazanin has received in Iran, and the fact that Nazanin was brought once again into Court on Saturday 4 November."

 

The charges against Nazanin were denied by her family and the Foundation, a charity organisation that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News.

 

Tulip Siddiq, a lawmaker for the opposition Labour Party, said Johnson had failed to retract his comments, which she said had undermined efforts to secure Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release.

 

"By suggesting Nazanin was in Iran ‘teaching people journalism’, Boris Johnson has endangered the cause to secure her release," Siddiq, who is the lawmaker for the area where Zaghari-Ratcliffe lived in London, said in an emailed statement.

 

"The Foreign Secretary's failure to retract his comments to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee is unforgivable," Siddiq said. "His comments were both untrue and unhelpful to her case."

 

The Iranian Embassy in London could not be reached for comment.

 

(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Catherine Evans and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-11-07

 

[nausea]

I think we can safely say that, as Foreign Secretary, Boris has reached his highest level of incompetence under the Peter Principle.

[Ulic]

Boris Johnson, Mr. Foot in Mouth.

[ilostmypassword]

His comments may not justify more charges against that worker, but they certainly would justify firing Johnson. 

[retarius]

IF you click on the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) website you can see the confusion and why Iran might not like them very much. First she works in the Media Development group as a project manager....the stated function of the Media Development program is to train journalists....so perhaps some sloppy work by an aide to Boris who assumed that she went to Iran to train journalists.

 

Another function of TRF is to cover 'under-reported news' which might be something the Iranian government dislike if the under-reported news is prejudicial to them.

 

Whenever a Brit is arrested overseas we always assume they are innocent of all charges, but MI6 and the CIA do make a habit of co-opting dual nationals to help them when the dual national is traveling...so it is not beyond the realms of possibility that this is what happened. Having siad that it would be unlucky for her to have her sentenced increased because of sloppy work by Boris' staff.

[Enoon]

 

They thought that having him inside the tent (the cabinet) pissing out was better than having him outside pissing in.

 

Unfortunately he s**** everywhere.

 

 

[dunroaming]

This one really hurts.  I first knew of this case when Richard Ratcliffe's appealed for support to get his wife's arrest raised in Parliament. I like thousands of others signed up and 100,000 signatures were gathered in a few days.  It was then debated in the house and a commitment was promised to do all possible to get Nazanin released. It was obvious that she was being used as a pawn in a bigger political game being played by the Iranians.  Richard and both his and Nazanin's  family have been going through hell and he has kept us all aware of just what can only be described as an absolute nightmare.

 

For Boris Johnson to jeopardise the life (and given Nassanin's now fragile state of health, I do mean life) of this innocent woman by his ill informed comments should mean his instant sacking.  For him to not immediately acknowledge his mistake and make a full public retraction and apology is absolutely despicable. 

 

Will May sack him?  And what about Priti Patel lying about having a secret meeting in Israel?  Another totally sackable offence.  The answer is that she can't sack either of them because her cabinet is so fragile that she cannot take the chance.  Of course there is no chance of Johnson or Patel falling on their swords and they know they are safe from dismissal.

 

What a farce British politics are.... or should I say what a farce British politicians are.  

 

[Baerboxer]

15 hours ago, nausea said:

I think we can safely say that, as Foreign Secretary, Boris has reached his highest level of incompetence under the Peter Principle.

 

I think that's a tad flattering, if I may say so. His highest level of incompetence was before he was Mayor of London!

 

But, right old school, university, family and hey oh, off one jolly well goes 

[Baerboxer]

3 hours ago, dunroaming said:

This one really hurts.  I first knew of this case when Richard Ratcliffe's appealed for support to get his wife's arrest raised in Parliament. I like thousands of others signed up and 100,000 signatures were gathered in a few days.  It was then debated in the house and a commitment was promised to do all possible to get Nazanin released. It was obvious that she was being used as a pawn in a bigger political game being played by the Iranians.  Richard and both his and Nazanin's  family have been going through hell and he has kept us all aware of just what can only be described as an absolute nightmare.

 

For Boris Johnson to jeopardise the life (and given Nassanin's now fragile state of health, I do mean life) of this innocent woman by his ill informed comments should mean his instant sacking.  For him to not immediately acknowledge his mistake and make a full public retraction and apology is absolutely despicable. 

 

Will May sack him?  And what about Priti Patel lying about having a secret meeting in Israel?  Another totally sackable offence.  The answer is that she can't sack either of them because her cabinet is so fragile that she cannot take the chance.  Of course there is no chance of Johnson or Patel falling on their swords and they know they are safe from dismissal.

 

What a farce British politics are.... or should I say what a farce British politicians are.  

 

 

A weak PM who tires to run the government in the same way she micromanaged the Home Office; who lost her party it's majority through her failure to stand up to poor advice from her two advisers who were out of their depth and totally misjudged the mood of the electorate; who clings to office whilst loosing credibility at an alarming rate. And as such, she just can't command the respect of her cabinet and exercise the discipline necessary.

 

And just look at the opposition parties - hardly brimming with capable effective leaders likely to out the people and country first.

 

Yep, it would be a farce but it isn't remotely funny.

[dunroaming]

1 minute ago, Baerboxer said:

Yep, it would be a farce but it isn't remotely funny.

True and it appears there are no easy solutions.  

[Grouse]

One would have thought an Eton and Oxford man would know to do the right thing. What an embarrassing oaf.