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Husband Of Jailed U.K.-Iranian Woman Wants London To Be 'Tougher' With Tehran


Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of jailed British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe speaks to the press following a meeting with British Prime Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street on January 23.
Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of jailed British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe speaks to the press following a meeting with British Prime Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street on January 23.

The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman who has been detained in Iran for almost four years, says she is being used as a "chess piece" in foreign policy.

Speaking on January 23 following talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Richard Ratcliffe said there has been "no breakthrough" in efforts to secure his wife’s release and urged the government to be "tougher" with Tehran.

The couple's five-year-old daughter Gabriella was also at the meeting.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested at Tehran airport in April 2016 after visiting relatives in Iran with her young daughter.

She was later sentenced to five years in prison for alleged spying in a case that has been condemned internationally.

Her family, employer, and the British government maintain her innocence.

Last month, Iran rejected a request that Zaghari-Ratcliffe be released after serving half of her sentence, according to state-run media.

Based on reporting by AFP and the BBC

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