Husband of Brit mum jailed in Iran pleads for release as she turns 40 in prison

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband has made a desperate appeal for her release as she prepares to spend her 40th birthday behind bars in Iran.

Richard Ratcliffe said his innocent wife has been suffering both physically and mentally, calling her case a "travesty of justice" as he urged the Government to fight for her freedom.

He said she has been wrongly detained for more than two years – and separated from him and their four-year-old daughter Gabriella – on fabricated charges of spying .

The British-Iranian mum has been held in Iran since she was arrested at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport in April 2016 as she tried to leave the country with her daughter, then aged 22 months, after visiting family.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was later sentenced to five years in jail after being accused of spying, a charge she vehemently denies.

The charity worker, of Hampstead in north London, will turn 40 in an Iranian prison on Boxing Day.

In a joint statement ahead of her birthday, her husband and London Mayor Sadiq Khan called on Iran to "immediately" release her and others who are being "wrongly detained".

The pair said: "Nazanin has been wrongly detained in an Iranian prison for over two years. She has done nothing wrong, has broken no laws. The charges against her are completely false.

"She is innocent and should not be kept in prison, separated for so long from her family and her young daughter.

"While she’s imprisoned, Nazanin continues to suffer both physically and mentally.

"We – and indeed the whole country – know what a travesty of justice it is that Nazanin continues to be detained.

"Her case, and also those of other dual-nationality prisoners being wrongly held in Iran, have rightly attracted global interest and deep concern.

"Sadly, Nazanin is not the only innocent Londoner to be incarcerated in Iran. There are cases of British citizens being arrested when simply visiting their families.

"They cannot be forgotten and the Government must relentlessly fight for their release too.

"London is home to a large Iranian community who make a valuable contribution to this great, diverse city.

"Together, we are united in calling on the Iranian authorities to release Nazanin immediately along with the others who are being wrongly detained, to allow them to return home and be reunited with their loved ones.

"We are grateful to the Foreign Secretary for prioritising her case and trying to secure her release. We are also grateful to Nazanin’s local MP, Tulip Siddiq, who has tirelessly campaigned for her constituent’s release.

"With Christmas approaching and, as Nazanin turns 40 on Boxing Day, we are calling on the Iranian authorities to release her at once so she can return home and be reunited with her family."

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt pressed his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Zarif, about her case in September when they met in New York on the fringes of a United Nations General Assembly.

The month before, she had been granted a three-day release but her request for an extension was denied and she was forced to say goodbye to Gabriella and return to jail.

Earlier this month, Mr Ratcliffe told how his wife is desperate for another baby and fears time is running out.

He said: “She is very low and despairing, almost wanting to stop hoping because the hope is too much.

“For her the key point is turning 40 on Boxing Day, if we cross that point and she’s still in prison there will be a fundamental hurt and decision to do something."

He has also revealed that she has recently threatened to go on a hunger strike in prison.

Mr Ratcliffe said his wife has suffered panic attacks and was taken to a clinic after losing consciousness.

More than 170,000 people have signed an online petition, set up by Amnesty International UK, calling on Iran to release Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

The petition says Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe hasbeen "extremely" distressed and depressed during her imprisonment and separation from her family, has suffered from severe arm, neck and back pain due to the conditions in prison, and her hair is falling out.

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