DUBAI (Reuters). -An Iranian appeals tribunal has sentenced Nazanin Zaghari Rahcliffe, a British-Iranian humanitarian worker for security offenses to a year in prison. Her lawyer was quoted on Saturday by an Iranian news site.

According to attorney Hojjat Kermani, “The appeals Court has approved the lower court’s verdict without holding any hearing.”

A court in Iran sentenced Zaghari Ratcliffe, a month after serving a five-year sentence, to an additional term of imprisonment for propagandism against Iran’s system. The sentence has yet to start.

Zaghari Ratcliffe, project manager for the Thomson Reuters (NYSE.) Foundation in Tehran was taken into custody at an Iranian airport on April 16, 2016. Later, they were convicted of conspiring to overthrow the clerical institution.

Iran’s judiciary did not immediately comment on the decision of an appeals court.

The charges were denied by Zaghari Ratcliffe’s family as well as the foundation. It is a charitable foundation that functions independently from Thomson Reuters or its news subsidiary Reuters.

Zaghari Ratcliffe was sentenced to the longest time in Tehran’s Evin jail. However, she was freed in March 2020 due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Although she was granted release from house arrest, in March 2021 she was summoned back to court on a new charge.

Tulip Siddiq, British lawmaker, stated that she has spoken with Richard Zaghari Ratcliffe.

“Nazanin lost her most recent appeal, and her sentence is 1 year plus 1 month travel ban with no hearing. Siddiq stated in a tweet that “She could now return to prison at anytime,” and asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to interfere.

The arrests of numerous dual-nationals and foreigners have been a problem for Iran’s relations with several European countries like France, Germany, and Britain. They are all party to Tehran’s 2015 nuclear accord with six world power.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss declared that Iran’s decision “to proceed with these baseless accusations against Nazanin Zaghari–Ratcliffe” in a statement.

Iran should not threaten to bring Nazanin back into prison. Iran must free her forever.”

This court ruling came after indirect talks between Iran, the United States and revive the nuclear agreement had stalled following the election of Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric.

(Dubai NewsroomAdditional reporting by Alistair Smout & William JamesEditing and translation by Frances Kerry