Nazanin’s agonising wait to see if she can stay free
Decision day today for British mother jailed in Iran over ‘espionage’
NAZANIN Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British mother jailed for five years in Iran for supposed espionage, will learn today whether the authorities will extend her three-day temporary release – or force her to say goodbye to her young daughter and return to prison this evening.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 40, who is currently staying in the Iranian countryside with her parents and her daughter, Gabriella, four, was detained in April 2016 at Tehran airport after visiting her family.
Her husband, City finance expert Richard, said she had hoped to learn yesterday whether her leave – which is often granted to prisoners in Iran – would be prolonged.
But when the family’s lawyer arrived at the prosecutor’s office, he was told that the official handling the case was away, and to return this morning.
‘The agony goes on – it’s going to be a very worrying day,’ Mr Ratcliffe said. ‘If she doesn’t get an extension, it will be a blow to all of us, but most of all to her: to be back in jail after tasting freedom for just three days would be very hard.’
Mr Ratcliffe, from North London, said that before learning that there would be no decision over the possible extension, the family was able to enjoy an outing to a coffee shop yesterday, where he was able to talk to them via Skype. He has applied for an Iranian visa, and said that if charity worker Nazanin gets the extension and his request is granted, he will try to visit her. But he added: ‘Until Nazanin is really home, she’s not home.’ He and the family’s lawyer had not expected her to be granted even a three-day spell of freedom after being refused earlier requests, ‘and it would be naïve to suggest that this is the beginning of the end, or to assume that from now on, it’s going to be plain sailing. It’s been a huge process just to get this far.’
Mr Ratcliffe said the Iranian authorities had become more amenable since Britain’s decision to go through with a deal to lift sanctions in return for Iran curbing its nuclear weapons programme.
Last year, then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was forced to apologise after falsely stating Nazanin had been in Iran to train local journalists – a claim which may still cause years to be added to her sentence.
Mr Ratcliffe could not say whether Mr Johnson’s resignation in July had made a difference, but added: ‘It’s very clear [his successor] Jeremy Hunt really cares.’
Mr Hunt is considering whether to grant official diplomatic protection to Nazanin, who has dual British-Iranian
‘It’s going to be a very worrying day’
nationality, to increase the pressure on the Iranians.
Mr Ratcliffe said this had to be carefully considered, though, as rather than help, it might hinder her chances of permanent freedom.
There are thought to be at least a dozen dual British-Iranian nationals in detention, most of whose cases have not been publicised at the request of their families.