Richard Ratcliffe, husband of former Iranian hostage Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, has told the Mirror there is one major and “depressing” similarity between his wife’s case and that of British couple, Lindsay and Craig Foreman, who are locked up in Iran
During the nearly six years Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was imprisoned as a ‘hostage’ in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, her husband and family tirelessly campaigned for her release.
Nazanin, whose daughter Gabriella was only a baby when she was arrested, was falsely accused of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government, and other claims of espionage.
The British-Iranian dual citizen spent years as a diplomatic pawn between the two governments, but her husband Richard Ratcliffe never stopped working to secure her freedom.
Richard has recently advised the family of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a British couple detained in Iran, on their campaign to get their parents home.
But, he explained to the Mirror, in many ways, little has changed in the UK government’s approach, something he said was “depressing” to see.
Lindsay and Craig had embarked on what was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime: travelling all the way from their home in Spain to Australia on motorbikes, whilst undertaking a project about what makes a good life as they went, connecting with strangers and learning about building strong communities.
But in early January this year, the couple suddenly went out of contact with their family as they were travelling through Iran – and never arrived at their hotel.
The pair were arrested by the Iranian authorities on charges of espionage – something that their four children say couldn’t be further from the truth. To add to the family’s distress, they know precious little about the conditions their parents are enduring in Iranian prison, nor have they had much contact.
“It is such an isolating and terrifying experience at the beginning. It is like the whole family goes into solitary confinement,” Richard explained to the Mirror.
Richard said that he thought few lessons had been learned by the Foreign Office about handling this type of situation, after seeing how the Foremans had been treated so far.
“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.
“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.”
He added that he believed, “They would get sympathy, but they would have to push hard for any action,” and 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.
But, he added, “I told them that there is no roadmap – and what works for them will be their own path.”
In early June, the Foremans were due to be transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran – where British-Iranian dual citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was imprisoned between 2017 and her eventual release in 2022, on a series of trumped-up charges, from spying to plotting to overthrow the regime.
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.” But, the campaigner claimed, this was all part of the “UK’s playbook for stalling” that he and his family had endured for years.
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 that British hostages are part of a larger “game” and that it’s a “game we were a chess piece in” but that recognising and accepting this eventually made the ordeal easier to “navigate”.
“Iran’s games weren’t personal,” he said, adding the realisation allowed them “to better spot the UK’s playbook for stalling”.
He added that “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.”
Lindsay and Craig’s family are desperate to bring their “generous and fun” parents home, and Richard explained, “The main thing I told them when we first met was that they needed to get it confirmed where they were, and that they were still alive,” Richard said.
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.”
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