Prisoner 951: Quick Facts on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the Wrongfully Imprisoned British-Iranian Whose Life Inspired a Documentary

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's long imprisonment has captured global attention and has now been brought to the screen in the four-part BBC series, Prisoner 951, set to air this month on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The factual drama stars Narges Rashidi as Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Joseph Fiennes as her husband, Richard Ratcliffe. The series chronicles her six-year ordeal in Iran.

Early Life and Career

Nazanin Zaghari was born on 26 December 1978 in Tehran, Iran, and grew up in the city before pursuing English literature at the University of Tehran. After the 2003 Bam earthquake, she contributed to relief efforts as a translator for the Japan International Cooperation Agency. She later worked with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the World Health Organization as a communications officer.

In 2007, Zaghari-Ratcliffe moved to the United Kingdom after securing a scholarship for a Masters in Communication Management at London Metropolitan University. During this period, she met Richard Ratcliffe through mutual friends, and the couple married in August 2009 in Winchester. Their daughter was born in June 2014, and Zaghari-Ratcliffe became a British citizen in 2013. She regularly returned to Iran to allow her parents to see her daughter, travelling on her Iranian passport as required by law, while using her British passport for other international travel.

Professional Background

Before her imprisonment, Zaghari-Ratcliffe worked for the BBC World Service Trust from February 2009 to October 2010. She then joined the Thomson Reuters Foundation as a project coordinator, later advancing to a project manager role. Her work focused on communications and media development, contributing to international programmes and humanitarian initiatives.

Arrest and Imprisonment

On 3 April 2016, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran. She was accused of espionage and sentenced in early September 2016 to five years in prison for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Iranian government. While incarcerated, she undertook at least three hunger strikes to press Iranian authorities for medical care for her health issues.

In October 2017, the Tehran prosecutor general claimed that Zaghari-Ratcliffe had run a BBC Persian online journalism course aimed at recruiting individuals to spread propaganda against Iran. She has consistently denied these charges. Her husband maintains that her imprisonment was used as leverage over a longstanding debt owed by the UK related to undelivered tanks in 1979.

Legal Proceedings and Release

Her original sentence concluded on 7 March 2021, but she faced a second set of charges on 14 March. On 26 April 2021, she was sentenced to an additional year for alleged propaganda activities, and her appeal was rejected on 16 October 2021. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was finally released on 16 March 2022 following the repayment of an outstanding debt of £393.8 million (approximately $486 million) by the UK to Iran. She returned to Britain the following day.

Legacy and Media Portrayal

Prisoner 951 documents Zaghari-Ratcliffe's ordeal, highlighting both her personal struggle and exploring diplomatic tensions between Iran and the United Kingdom. The series reflects the challenges faced by dual nationals in politically sensitive environments and underscores the human cost of international disputes.