Husband of woman jailed in Iran calls on PM to ‘take responsibility’

The husband of a British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to “take responsibility” and help get her home.

Charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016 and sentenced to five years in jail, after being accused of spying, which she vehemently denies.

Her husband Richard, 44, and their five-year-old daughter Gabriella, were joined by about 40 people outside Downing Street in London on Tuesday, to sing Christmas carols as part of the campaign calling for her release.

Those taking part held placards reading “Boris please help free Nazanin”, while a giant Christmas card addressed to Mr Johnson was filled with messages urging him to take action.

In a message to Mr Johnson, Mr Ratcliffe told the PA news agency: “Please get her home.

“The message is for you to stand by the promise you made me, that you would leave no stone unturned.

“Please take responsibility for Nazanin’s case and do what you can to get her and others home.”

Speaking about his daughter, who returned to the UK after three and a half years in Iran, Mr Ratcliffe said: “She misses her mum, she misses her granny. We have had a number of nights where she has cried herself to sleep.

“But luckily she has had a teddy bear her mummy had given her, and granny had given her, and kept one under each arm. It hasn’t been easy for her.”