Freedom for British mum jailed in Iran
‘I’m so happy to be out – prison is hell’
NAZANIN Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been freed from jail in Iran for two weeks – but will have to wear an ankle tag.
The British-Iranian mother will stay with her family in Tehran but her movements will be restricted to 300 metres (328 yards) from their home.
The charity worker, who was arrested in 2016 on false spying charges, was allowed out yesterday but will return to jail again on April 4.
Iran has released 85,000 prisoners on temporary leave to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said yesterday: ‘I am so happy to be out. Even with the ankle tag, I am so happy. Being out is so much better than being in – if you knew what hell this place is. It is mental. Let us hope it will be the beginning of coming home.’
Her husband Richard said: ‘This furlough is a positive step, but it is not a victory. The issue now is to... bring Nazanin home.’
The draconian rules mean she is unable to visit extended family and, crucially, she will be kept away from the British Embassy.
Iranian authorities announced that the prisoners would be allowed out yesterday, ahead of the Iranian new year. The coronavirus death toll in Iran has soared to 988 and a total of 16,169 have been confirmed as infected.
It is one of the worst national outbreaks outside China, where the pandemic originated.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was woken yesterday morning and told to pack quickly. Fellow prisoners helped her to prepare her things and sang songs, while wearing necklaces she had made them. Her husband said the first thing his wife wanted to do was speak to their five-year-old daughter Gabriella.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: ‘I am relieved that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been temporarily released. We urge the regime to ensure she receives any necessary medical care. While this is a welcome step, we urge the government now to release all UK dual nationals arbitrarily detained in Iran and enable them to return to their families in the UK.’
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport while travelling to show her daughter Gabriella to her parents in April 2016. She was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. She was later afforded diplomatic protection by the UK Government.