Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s temporary release has been extended until May 20, her lawyer Mahmoud Behzadirad told state-run agency IRNA on Tuesday.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a dual British-Iranian national was arrested on April 3, 2016 by the intelligence section of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran. She was sentenced to five years jail in 2016 after being convicted of espionage, charges she has denied. The UK government has also rejected the charges. 

The aid worker was granted furlough in April and has since been staying at her parent’s house in Tehran. She is unable to venture more than 300 meters from the property and must also wear an ankle tag.  

Behzadirad said that Zaghari-Ratcliffe is eligible for conditional release, having served four out of five years of her prison sentence. A request has been filed with the prosecutor's office, with no response so far.

Iran has released over 100,000 prisoners as a preventative measure to stop the spread of the coronavirus, including some foreign nationals and dual Iranian citizens. Judiciary spokesperson Gholam Reza Esmaili reiterated that Iran does not recognize the concept of dual nationality at a Tuesday press conference. 

“We do not recognize dual nationalities, our criteria is the type of offense, the level of punishment and the dangers posed to society … and the possibility of bail” Esmaili said. “We are an institution of justice  and do not discriminate;  we even released one thousand foreign nationals on furlough.”

A group of UN human rights experts praised Iran for releasing large number of prisoners on Friday but urged the Islamic Republic to immediately release political prisoners and dual and foreign nationals at risk of contracting COVID-19.

Seven people have died in car accidents in Erbil province since the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) imposed a traffic suspension in mid-March under measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, according to police figures.

“Since a curfew was announced in the Kurdistan Region, Erbil province has seen 19 car accidents killing seven and wounding 20 other people,” Fazil Haji, spokesperson of the Erbil Province Traffic Police, told Rudaw on Monday.

According to Haji, the latest accident happened on Monday evening when “a motorcyclist trying to avoid a checkpoint on the Erbil-Kasnazan road collided with a vehicle, wounding the motorcyclist and another passenger with him.”

Behind natural causes, car accidents are the second-leading cause of death in the Kurdistan Region and on the rise. According to data collected by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of the Interior, 36,913 car accidents occurred from 2010 to 2018, killing 6,509 and injuring 77,362.

In the first five months of 2018 alone, there were 1,577 car accidents, killing 235 people and injuring 2,508 more. In the first three months of 2019, 120 people were killed and 1,050 injured in 940 car accidents across the Kurdistan Region.

Although the roads are largely empty under the lockdown, traffic lights have been switched off at several junctions. Road layouts have also been altered to funnel traffic into checkpoints. Many drivers meanwhile are taking advantage of clear highways to speed, reducing their reaction time. 

According to traffic officials, Erbil residents have largely adhered to the lockdown measures.

The KRG originally imposed the curfew on March 13, which has been extended several times. It is due to be lifted on Thursday unless otherwise stated. 

Similar curfews of varying lengths have been announced across Iraqi provinces and around the world. 

Since April 16, Erbil province has relaxed some restrictions on non-essential movements. 

The rate of infection in Erbil and the Kurdistan Region as a whole has fallen dramatically. In the capital Erbil, there have been no new cases recorded for 10 consecutive days.

Of the 169 cases of COVID-19 recorded in Erbil province, 134 have recovered while 35 cases remain active.

Across the Kurdistan Region, there remain just 46 active cases. Duhok province has already declared itself virus-free.

By Zhelwan Z. Wali 

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The Kurdistan Regional Government advises anyone in the Kurdistan Region displaying coronavirus symptoms to call its emergency hotline on 122. This service is available in Kurdish and Arabic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More information can be found on the government’s website.

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