Hopes temporary release of mother held in Iran could be extended
The lawyer acting for charity worker Nazanin Zaghariratcliffe is confident her temporary release from prison in Iran will be extended beyond three days, her husband said.
The British-iranian mother was released from Evin jail in Tehran on Thursday and is staying with family outside the capital until tomorrow.
Reunited with her fouryear-old daughter Gabriella after more than two years in jail, her husband Richard Ratcliffe said they were “all well and happy” after speaking to them yesterday.
On a visit to Edinburgh, Mr Ratcliffe said he expects to hear today whether an application to extend the three days’ leave will be granted.
Speaking yesterday he said: “Her lawyer is very confi- dent that it will be extended. I think we’ll know by lunchtime tomorrow. I would expect that if it is extended, that it’s extended for a couple of weeks.”
Mrs Zaghari-ratcliffe, from Hampstead, north London, was sentenced to five years in jail after being accused of spying by Tehran’s Islamist regime. She denies the allegation and said she was on holiday in Iran to allow her daughter to spend time with relatives there. Gabriella has been staying with family since Mrs Zaghari-ratcliffe, who works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was detained at Imam Khomeini airport in April 2016.