Fresh hope for Nazanin as daughter returns from Iran
Daughter of charity worker jailed in Iran returns home to start school as PM urged to press for her freedom
Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of British-iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-ratcliffe, is reunited with his five-year-old daughter Gabriella, who flew home from Iran where she had been living with her grandparents. Mr Ratcliffe, who has been unable to visit his daughter or his jailed wife after he was refused a visa, admitted life would not return to normal until his wife made the same journey, but said Gabriella’s arrival had given him fresh hope. Mrs Zaghari-ratcliffe is said to be ‘at breaking point’ in prison.
WHEN Gabriella Zaghari-ratcliffe was united with her father after three and a half years apart, she had only one question: “When are we going to the toy shop?”
The five-year-old is the daughter of Nazanin Zaghari-ratcliffe, the charity worker from London who has been imprisoned in Iran since April 2016 accused of spying, charges she denies.
Gabriella was with her mother when she was arrested and has lived with her grandparents in Tehran since, but has now returned to Britain to start school.
For Richard Ratcliffe, her father, who has been fighting for his wife’s release and has been unable to travel to Iran after being denied a visa, the homecoming is a joy and a rare glimmer of hope.
“I was maybe squeezing her a bit too tight,” he said of their emotional reunion. “Part of campaigning is keeping things quite stoic, just battling on, and actually confronting her emotions, holding her hand ... it’s lovely.”
He admitted life would not completely return to normal until his wife made the same journey, but said Gabriella’s arrival had given him fresh belief.
In a statement yesterday, Mr Ratcliffe said: “Gabriella came back to us late at night, a bit uncertain seeing those she only remembered from the phone. It has been a long journey to have her home, with bumps right until the end.” He added: “Of course, the job is not yet done until Nazanin is home. It was a hard goodbye for Nazanin and all her family. But let us hope this homecoming unlocks another.”
Having lived in Iran since her mother was detained when she was just 22 months old, Gabriella has yet to come to grips with the English language but there is one thing she can say. “When are we going to the toy shop?”
“Bless her, she did ask even last night about this toy shop,” said Mr Ratcliffe.
“Sometimes she gets a little unsure of things and frustrated that she can’t explain to daddy and daddy’s not getting it.”
Mrs Zaghari-ratcliffe, 40, was returning to Britain after a holiday to visit family with her daughter when she was arrested at Imam Khomeini airport. She was accused of spying, which she vehemently denies, and was sentenced to five years in jail.
While in Iran, Gabriella would visit her mother in Tehran’s Evin prison once a week but the family said in April that new prison rules meant visitation was reduced to once a month.
Earlier this month, Mrs Zaghari-ratcliffe wrote an open letter to the mothers of Iran, in which she said: “In the near future, my baby will leave me to go to her father and start school in the UK. It will be a daunting trip for her travelling, and for me left behind.” Last week, Mr Ratcliffe told The
Times they postponed the decision to bring Gabriella home in time for the school term after his wife was taken to a psychiatric hospital. He said there was a “real risk” her mental and physical condition would deteriorate.
Tulip Siddiq, the Labour MP, said Gabriella’s parents had made a decision that “no family” should have to make.
“It is heart-warming to see Gabriella reunited with her father after 1,300 days in Iran, but heartbreaking that she is separated from her mother Nazanin,” Ms Siddiq said. “Nazanin is at breaking point, and today is yet another reminder that she has been failed at the very highest levels of government.”
Ms Siddiq urged the UK Government to do “everything it possibly can” to bring Mrs Zaghari-ratcliffe home.
Jeremy Hunt, the former foreign secretary, shared an image of Gabriella and her father’s reunion, adding: “This must be the definition of bittersweet. Govt must redouble efforts to bring Nazanin home. Now more than ever, she needs to know she’s not alone.”
Last month, Boris Johnson called for the release of Mrs Zaghari-ratcliffe during a meeting with Iran’s president.
Mr Ratcliffe said he had asked Mr Johnson to meet with him and Gabriella since he became Prime Minister, but had not received an answer.
In 2017, while acting as foreign secretary, Mr Johnson had to apologise after saying Mrs Zaghari-ratcliffe was in Iran “teaching people journalism” rather than there for a family holiday.
‘It was a hard goodbye for Nazanin and all her family. But let us hope this homecoming unlocks another’