Joyous reunion of Iran jail Briton and her little girl
Tears of joy as Briton held in Iran for ‘spying’ is briefly reunited with her daughter
THE British mother imprisoned in Iran was reunited with her daughter yesterday after being given temporary release from jail.
Charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who must return to prison tomorrow, said she was overwhelmed to hold four-year-old Gabriella.
‘I cried so much,’ she was quoted as saying, adding that it would be ‘awesome’ for her daughter to ‘have a mummy again’.
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 family.
She was released from Evin prison in Tehran yesterday morning and is now with her family and daughter in nearby Damavand until Sunday, according to the Free Nazanin campaign.
Mrs Zaghari- Ratcliffe, from Hampstead, north London, was detained in April 2016 and has seen her daughter on visits.
Two conditions of her release are that she not give any media interviews or visit the grounds of any foreign embassy.
A bail of 1billion rials (£18,000) was also set, with her family’s home in Tehran used as collateral, according to the campaign.
In comments issued by her supporters, she said she was not expecting her release.
‘ It will be just awesome for Gabriella to have mummy home finally,’ she said. ‘We can play with her dolls house and she can show me her toys. The thought of brushing her hair, and giving her a bath; of being able to take her to the park, and feed her, and sleep next to her – it just kills me. It is still so hard to believe.
‘I was so emotional to see my grandmother today. I cried so much. I felt so overwhelmed.
‘It felt like this really could be the beginning of the end.’
Her husband Richard Ratcliffe described her release as a ‘good step’, saying: ‘Despite the buildup, today was a genuine surprise after all the disappointments.
‘We have been burned by hope before, so it had been easier to presume disappointment would come again. But it didn’t – she is outside those prison walls.’
He added that her lawyer was hopeful her release could be extended. A number of her cellmates were released for three days and are still free a month later.
‘This was a very happy surprise after a number of false dawns recently, which had been increasingly unsettling,’ added Mr Ratcliffe. ‘Our thanks to all those involved in making this possible in Tehran and London, and to the new Foreign Secretary for all his recent efforts and considerations.’
He said his wife was given just ten minutes to get ready for her release and was forced to borrow the mobile phone of the family of another prisoner to contact her brother.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the release was ‘really good news’ and added on Twitter: ‘But being in prison AT ALL is gross injustice and she must be PERMANENTLY released for which every effort will continue.’
Just two days ago, Mr Ratcliffe said his wife had come to ‘the end of her patience’ with Britain in the apparent absence of any diplomatic progress to bring her home.
He also said he discussed diplomatic protection for his wife with Mr Hunt, who later told the BBC he wasn’t sure it was a ‘good idea’.
Mr Hunt’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, was accused of extending her sentence after mistakenly describing her as a journalist who was working on her trip to Iran.
She works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation – the media organisation’s philanthropic arm – and had been on holiday visiting her family.
Rupert Skilbeck, of rights group Redress, which has campaigned with the family, said: ‘We will keep on working hard to secure her full release and her return back to her family in London, and we urge the UK government to use this opportunity to do the same. There is no justification for her continued imprisonment.’
There has been no announcement by Iran explaining why the temporary release was granted.
‘Still so hard to believe’