Anoosheh Ashoori
NationalityBritish, Iranian
OccupationBusinessman
Known forAlleged "spying for Israel's Mossad"

Anoosheh Ashoori (Persian: انوشه انصاری) is a British–Iranian businessman formerly detained in Evin jail in Iran. Iranian authorities arrested Ashoori in August 2017, when he was in the country to visit his mother.[1][2] In August 2019, the Iranian judiciary sentenced Ashoori to 12 years in prison; 10 years for allegedly "spying for Israel's Mossad" and two years for "acquiring illegitimate wealth",[3] charges which Ashoori denies.[4]

Ashoori spent 10 years in the UK from 1972, while he studied mechanical and aeronautical engineering, returning to Iran to take care of his ailing father. He returned to the UK in 2005 to "expand his business abroad". British academics and Ashoori's family have stated that Ashoori's detention, and that of other jailed Iranian dual citizens, is connected to diplomatic disputes between Iran and the UK.[5] Ashoori described his life in Evin jail in an article in The Guardian.[6]

Ashoori, and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, were released on 16 March 2022.[7][8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Iran sentences 3 to long prison terms on spying charges". AP News. 27 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Now Iran jails British businessman as 'spy'". Metro. 28 August 2019. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Iran jails Iranian-British national for 10 years for spying for Israel: TV". Reuters. 27 August 2019.
  4. ^ MacIntyre, Darragh (24 August 2020). "Panorama investigation: The detainees held 'hostage' in Iran". BBC News (video).
  5. ^ Shukla, Anu (1 October 2020). "Son of jailed British-Iranian: 'My dad's never been political'". Al Jazeera.
  6. ^ Ashoori, Anoosheh (16 March 2022). "Like Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, I was locked in Iran's Evin jail. The struggle was trying to stay sane". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Shearing, Hazel (16 March 2022). "Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori on way home to UK". BBC News. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori arrive in UK after being freed from Iran". BBC News. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
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