'The UK is letting us down': Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband on hunger strike for second time
The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has gone on hunger strike for the second time in two years following his wife losing her latest appeal in Iran.
Richard Ratcliffe is beginning a hunger strike outside the Foreign Office in London, due to the government’s “inaction and failure” in its handling of her case, according to his local MP.
Mr Ratcliffe intends to sleep in a tent at night.
"I mean I have lost faith in the government's strategy," he said on Sunday evening.
'Two years on it has felt like we are just drifting,' Richard Ratcliffe said
Reacting to the news, Labour MP Tulip Siddiq tweeted on Sunday afternoon that "it should never have come to this".
Non-profit organisation Redress said that, while Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe has not yet been summoned to prison, it is unclear whether she will be returned to prison or house arrest with an ankle tag, or whether she will be “left in limbo in Iran indefinitely”.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual national, has been in custody in the country since 2016 after being accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
She was taking her daughter Gabriella to see her family when she was arrested and was sentenced to five years in prison shortly afterwards.
According to her family, she was told by Iranian authorities that she was being detained because of the UK’s failure to pay an outstanding £400 million debt to Iran.
On a petition on Change.Org, which has more than 3.5 million signatures as of Sunday afternoon, Mr Ratcliffe has written: “Two years ago I went on hunger strike in front of the Iranian Embassy, on the eve of Boris Johnson taking over as Prime Minister.
“Two years ago we were allowed to camp in front of Iranian Embassy for 15 days, much to their considerable anger.
“But it got Gabriella home. We are now giving the UK government the same treatment. In truth, I never expected to have to do a hunger strike twice.
“Of course Iran still remains the primary abuser in Nazanin’s case. But our family is caught in a dispute between two states. The UK is also letting us down."
A spokeswoman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “Iran’s decision to proceed with these baseless charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is an appalling continuation of the cruel ordeal she is going through.
“Instead of threatening to return Nazanin to prison Iran must release her permanently so she can return home.
“We are doing all we can to help Nazanin get home to her young daughter and family and we will continue to press Iran on this point.”