Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s daughter arrives back in the UK after more than three years
Written by News on 11/10/2019
The five-year-old daughter of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has arrived back in the UK.
Gabriella had spent three and a half years living in Iran with her grandparents, visiting her British-Iranian mother in the notorious Evin Prison when the Iranian authorities would allow.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in Tehran in 2016 and sentenced to five years in prison after being accused of spying. She denies the charge.
Her husband Richard Ratcliffe has been campaigning for his wife to be released from prison.
He said of his daughter’s return: “Gabriella came back to us late at night, a bit uncertain seeing those she only remembered from the phone.
“Now she is peacefully sleeping next to me. And I am just watching.
“It has been a long journey to have her home, with bumps right until the end – and I am grateful to all those at the British Embassy and Iranian MFA who helped smooth all those last blockages.
“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.”
Gabriella’s return to Britain brings with it fresh challenges for the family.
After 1,300 days in Iran, away from her father and being brought up in an Iranian household, Gabriella can no longer speak English.
It also means that having been separated from her father for years, she will now be separated from her mother, leaving behind the life she has known since she was a toddler.
More follows…
(c) Sky News 2019: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s daughter arrives back in the UK after more than three years
