We cannot keep allowing our Prime Minister to play with people's lives

The tragedy of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case shows that Johnson’s ‘harmless’ bluster is in reality a cruel, twisted joke

It was frankly astonishing that Boris Johnson managed to keep his cabinet position as Foreign Secretary after his gaffe that was used against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe by Iranian authorities in 2017. Clearly having done little research into her case, he said that she had been imprisoned for “teaching journalists” - one of the lies that the Iranian authorities had used to justify her five year sentence for spurious espionage charges. His comments had the worst possible impact for the diplomatic process, with Iran quoting him at her next hearing and saying it was a “confession” proving that the charges were correct. Through this callous 'slip-up' he had severely worsened the already fragile position of the family.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been imprisoned on false charges since April 2016, having been arrested at the airport after visiting family on holiday with her daughter. She has been used by the Iranian government as a political pawn due to her British-Iranian dual nationality, with Iranian authorities repeatedly referring to a long-standing debt that the UK owes to Iran when discussing the release of prisoners. On top of this she was subject to an unfair trial - there is no justification for her imprisonment.

Yet the UK government’s response to her case, much like the Iranian government, seems to have been more about political game-playing than working to bring justice to Nazanin and her family. Boris Johnson only met with her husband Richard Ratcliffe in November 2017 after pressure was mounted on him due to his false comments in parliament. Johnson’s resignation in June 2018 over the Chequers Brexit deal caused more upheaval in the Foreign Office, only negatively impacting her case and showing where his interests really were. Jeremy Hunt made more progress by granting Nazanin diplomatic protection, making her case an inter-state dispute and raising the case’s profile. But once again, the Tory leadership contest and Brexit deadlines pushed all human cases aside, with Boris Johnson doing very little since becoming Prime Minister to aid her case. If anything, the failure of the UK government to frame the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Suleimani as an unnecessary escalation in the region further increased inter-state tension and led to fears that her sentence could be extended.

Since her imprisonment Nazanin’s health has declined sharply, especially since she was pushed towards a nervous breakdown after a temporary three day release in August 2018. She has required medical treatment after a cancer scare from lumps that developed in her breasts, she has had severe neck and back pains, and been subject to horrendous treatment in the psychiatric unit of the notorious Evin Prison. In the last week there have been reports of an outbreak of the novel Coronavirus in the prison, but the authorities have refused to run tests or take precautions. Most of the fatalities from the disease have been patients who are already suffering ill health. Nazanin’s family, having heard of her symptoms, now suspect that she has contracted the virus in her already fragile state of health. As of 3rd March 2020 the Iranian ambassador to the UK has announced the possibility of another temporary release for Nazanin and has said she is in good health - contrary to what her family have heard - but this will not be good enough unless the UK government lobbies for this to become permanent.

Make no mistake - this could have been avoided if our government had taken urgent action from the outset, and Boris Johnson, in his position, had not shown crass recklessness and disregard for his citizens that he should be protecting. If anything happens to Nazanin, and I hope deeply that her health will recover fully, Johnson will share the blame. In 2016 I had the privilege of meeting Richard Ratcliffe at the Human Rights Day celebrations with my school Amnesty International group, and the fact that four years later the family’s situation has worsened rather than improved makes me feel sick. If people have not woken up already, this case should be the catalyst that finally stops us from dismissing Johnson as a joke or bad dream that we can wake up from. He is a dangerous reality, and if his actions cause the Zaghari-Ratcliffe family any more suffering, it will be simply unforgivable.