I had to live in shadow of your words, freed Nazanin tells PM
BORIS JOHNSON failed to apologise to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after she described the “massive impact” his false claim about her training journalists in Iran had had on her six-year detention in the country, her husband said.
The Prime Minister was seemingly “shocked” after the BritishIranian dual national told him she had lived for years in the “shadow of his words” during their first meeting since her release.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and husband Richard Ratcliffe took their daughter Gabriella and constituency MP Tulip Siddiq to the discussions in Downing Street yesterday.
The mother was freed in March, along with fellow detainee Anoosheh Ashoori, after the UK agreed to settle a historic £400m debt with Iran.
Mr Johnson had been accused of lengthening her ordeal when, as foreign secretary in 2017, he wrongly claimed she had been training journalists at the time of her arrest in 2016.
Speaking to reporters in Downing Street yesterday, Mr Ratcliffe said his wife challenged the Prime Minister on “why did it take so long” to secure her release.
She also told him the “massive impact” his comments had on her, even saying the Iranian authorities brought Mr Johnson’s words up during interrogation shortly before her release.
Asked if the Prime Minister apologised, Mr Ratcliffe responded: “Not specifically.”
Their meeting with Mr Johnson was their first since she was finally freed from Tehran, and since he wrongly claimed she had been training journalists at the time of her arrest in 2016.
Ms Siddiq, the Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, said Mr Johnson “looked quite shocked” when her constituent challenged him.
She said: “I was really proud of Nazanin. She was sitting next to the Prime Minister and told him very clearly and categorically that his words had had a big impact on her.
“She told him she had lived in the shadow of his words for the best part of four and a half years.
“I have to say the Prime Minister looked quite shocked, I think, when she said that.”