A British woman has been sentenced to 20 years in an Iranian prison after criticising the country’s former leader on Facebook.
Roya Saberi Negad Nobakht, a housewife from Stockport, Greater Manchester, posted the comments on the social media site while visiting friends in Iran.
Ms Nobakht, 47, who holds dual British and Iranian citizenship, was arrested in Shiraz in the south-west of the country for allegedly criticising Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The part-time student was accused of putting Iran’s security at risk and of gathering crowds during her three-week stint in Iran.
Her husband Daryoush Taghipoor had no idea his wife had been arrested until she failed to appear at Manchester Airport.
Mr Taghipoor flew to Iran, where he spent eight weeks searching for his wife in hospitals, police stations and mortuaries, before he was told she had been arrested.
A source close to Ms Nobakht said she was arrested when she touched down at Shiraz airport to meet a friend.
‘They took her passport and her computer and she was taken to Evin prison where she has been ever since,’ they claimed.
‘She told them she was a student but they didn’t believe her.’
The source added to the Times that Mr Taghipoor has had almost no contact with his wife since her arrest: ‘He was allowed to visit her for 10 minutes and has not seen her since.
‘They can speak on the phone but are not able to say much.’
Mr Taghipoor is scared to return to the country in case he too is jailed.
The Foreign Office has said they are investigating what happened.
‘We are aware that a British national has received a custodial sentence in Iran,’ it said.
‘We are seeking to establish the full facts and are following up the case with the Iranian authorities.’
