Christmas reunion hope for family torn apart by Iranian spy claims
THE HUSBAND of jailed British mother Nazanin ZaghariRatcliffe believes there is “still a chance” she may be released from an Iranian prison in time for a dream Christmas reunion.
Richard Ratcliffe said his wife, who was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show their daughter Gabriella to her parents, imagines her homecoming clearly.
Mr Ratcliffe, from Hampstead, north-west London, has not lost hope of having his wife and daughter back in the UK by December 25, and said he plans for the three of them to go and buy a tree on Christmas Eve.
“It feels like there’s still a chance. It certainly feels it’s important for me to say that to Nazanin, to keep that hope alive,” he said.
“There’s not much hint of Christmas around the house just yet. It’s all on hold. I’ve seen where we’re going to buy the Christmas tree and I’ve got the box of decorations in the back of the wardrobe.”
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said he had “worthwhile” discussions concerning Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other British-Iranian dual nationals being held in Iran when he visited the country earlier this month. While he said he did not want to raise false hopes, he believed his messages had been received and understood by Iranian officials.
The “best-case scenario” would be if Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who turns 39 on Boxing Day, and Gabriella, now three and a half, fly home towards the end of this week, Mr Ratcliffe said.
“What she wants to do is just sit down and have a cup of tea and just be at home and rediscover her flat. And it’s that idea of being normal again.”
Mr Ratcliffe, 42, said he was reflecting on the possibility of another Christmas without Nazanin and Gabriella. He said there would be a feeling of loss but he would pick himself up and continue campaigning.