British mum back in jail after 3 days with family
THE British mother given a temporary release from jail in Iran was last night taken back to her cell.
London charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been reunited with her family, including her four-year-old daughter Gabriella, during the three-day release.
She applied for an extension but this was denied, husband Richard Ratcliffe said. Rather than be ‘dragged out of the house in front of her baby’, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe walked into prison ‘with her head held high’, Mr Ratcliffe said.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is British-Iranian, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2016 after being accused of spying by Tehran’s Islamist regime.
She has consistently denied all allegations, insisting she was on holiday to introduce Gabriella to her family.
She was released from Evin prison in Tehran on Thursday morning after two years in jail and was with her family and daughter in nearby Damavand.
Mr Ratcliffe said his wife was told by the Iranian authorities that she would have to return to the prison by sunset.
Kate Allen, of Amnesty International UK, said: ‘This is a crushing disappointment. There were real hopes that not only would her three-day furlough be extended, but that her permanent and unconditional release was also just around the corner.’