Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, has spoken to the Mirror about the ‘isolation’ experienced by the families of Iranian hostages – as Lindsay and Craig Foreman’s detention in the country continues
Campaigner Richard Ratcliffe worked for years to secure the released of his wife, innocent hostage Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, from Iran.
Nazanin was falsely accused of espionage, propaganda, and plotting to topple the Iranian regime – and was imprisoned between 2016 and 2022 in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.
Richard likened the “isolating” experience of his wife’s imprisonent on trumped-up charges, to the Mirror as being “like the whole family goes into solitary confinement.”
The campaigner has recently advised the family of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a British couple who were detained in Iran on charges of espionage early in the year – something their children have categorically denied.
Richard said, “It is such an isolating and terrifying experience at the beginning. It is like the whole family goes into solitary confinement,” adding that when he advised the family, “The main thing I told them when we first met was that they needed to get it confirmed where they were, and that [Lindsay and Craig] were still alive.”
Two of the Foreman’s sons, Joe and Kieran, spoke to the Mirror about their ordeal, and the huge emotional impact it had on their family, as they still do not have a clear picture of the conditions their parents are being held in, or contact with them.
“You are fearful for how they are,” said Joe to the Mirror describing the daily impact it had on the four siblings, explaining that it is “upsetting you can’t just pick up the phone and speak to them,” and adding that “everyday worried about their well being.”
Kieran said, “You don’t have a second to think about your own problems – all you are worried about is their welfare, how they are.”
He added, that it can “Almost feel selfish for being upset about it all. It’s a really weird situation where you feel helpless, you almost feel like you are falling down a pit and you can’t get up.”
Richard explained that during his own family’s ordeal, there were a couple of things that helped them all stay strong as they worked towards bringing Nazanin home.
“The main thing that kept us going across the years was knowing we were not alone, finding all these people following our story and caring.
“I always felt it was not our campaigning that got Nazanin home, it was all the people who listened and cared. That was what moved the politicians.”
He added, “So talking to other families in the same shoes helped me understand our own story better – to realise Iran’s games weren’t personal, and to better spot the UK’s playbook for stalling. That made it gradually easier to navigate, to know the game we were a chess piece in. It takes us all time to accept.”
He also told the Mirror that the way the Foreman family had been treated before launching their public campaign was “depressing” and indicated the Foreign Office had learned few lessons from Nazanin’s case, despite making “promises” to change their approach.
“I found it really alarming that in the six months since Craig and Lindsay were taken hostage, the family had not met the Foreign Secretary or any Minister, or even the Ambassador – and that only changed when they decided to go public,” Richard said.
“It had been the same in Nazanin’s case. So it was depressing to see none of the lessons from our had been learned, despite the Foreign Secretary’s promises in the elections to transform consular protections.”
Lindsay and Craig are believed to be held in Kerman Prison, after being arrested at the start of the year, whilst embarking on a motorbike trip from Spain to Australia, and undertaking a project about what makes a good life as they went, connecting with strangers and learning about communities.
In early June, the Foremans were due to be transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran – where Nazanin was imprisoned between 2017 and her eventual release in 2022.
However, just weeks later, Israeli strikes hit the infamous facility, and Lindsay and Craig’s family had no idea if they were safe, or whether the planned transfer had even gone ahead. Through the Foreign Office, Iranian authorities have since said that the couple are in Kerman – but their four children spent weeks in an unbearable limbo, with no idea what was going on.
Richard told the Mirror he found it “really shocking” that the UK government had not stayed on top of the couple’s whereabouts during the conflict.
“I was really shocked that the government had lost track of them in the middle of the Iran-Israel war, and had just closed the Embassy and not updated the family,” the campaigner said.
“When Evin prison got bombed, the only thing that mattered was proof of life. Not a vague assurance from the Iranian authorities, but a phone call to the family where they confirmed where they were, and a visit from an independent doctor to confirm they are ok.
“It is quite astonishing that after six months, the government still has not secured that.”
The embassy in Tehran has since been reopened, and Hamish Falconer MP – Minister for the Middle East – has said, “We will continue to play our full role to ensure the safety of British nationals in Iran.”
Richard explained to the Mirror that when speaking with Lindsay and Craig’s family as they campaign to secure the release of their “generous and fun” parents, he “told them that there is no road map – and what works for them will be their own path.
“But they should remember that the government’s interests were different from the family’s, and that it would continually find ways to kettle the campaign, and stop their suffering getting in the way of other agendas.
“They would get sympathy, but they would have to push hard for any action.”
Lindsay and Craig’s children encourage anyone moved by their parents’ story to write to their MP to help their campaign to secure the couple’s release from Iran.
The Foreign Office advises against all travel to Iran, and a spokesperson said to the Mirror in response to Richard’s claims, “We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran. We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities.
“We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.”
Sign the petition at https://www.change.org/freelindsayandcraig or to learn more, visit www.freelindsayandcraig.com