Political leaders have hailed the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from Iranian detention as an “incredible moment” after the mother-of-one was finally released from Iranian detention on Wednesday.
Tulip Siddiq, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s MP in Hampstead and Kilburn, said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was about to leave Iran - bringing an end to a painful six-year-old ordeal.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in 2016 at Imam Khomeini airport after a holiday visit to Iran where she introduced her daughter Gabriella to her parents. Wednesday’s breakthrough followed signs of progress in negotiations between the UK and Iran in recent days.
BBC News presenter Joanna Gosling was visibly emotional as she made the announcement on Wednesday’s 10am bulletin.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s family and leaders across the political spectrum spoke of their relief following the announcement.
Richard Ratcliffe’s sister has said it felt like they were on the “home run”, adding: “We found out about an hour ago that Nazanin had been picked up and taken to the airport with her parents. She is still actually under Iranian control in the airport.
“She is still not free but it definitely feels she is about to be.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “For Nazanin, for Richard, and their daughter, this is an incredible moment after so much anguish.”
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: “This is wonderful but long overdue news. We pay tribute to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Anoosheh Ashoori, and their families who showed extraordinary strength and courage in the face of an unimaginable ordeal. Now they finally have the freedom they deserve.”
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK's chief executive, said: "This is fantastic news, but it hasn't come a moment too soon.
"Nazanin and Anoosheh should never have been detained in the first place - they were both jailed on trumped-up national security charges, a familiar tactic in Iran.”
Redress, an anti-torture group which has campaigned for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to be freed, said it congratulated the UK Government on “finally negotiating her release”.
Director Rupert Skilbeck said: “Richard (Ratcliffe) fought day and night for his wife to be allowed to return to the UK and Redress is honoured to have supported them in securing Nazanin’s freedom.”
Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrats’ spokeswoman for foreign affairs, said she had “welled up” after hearing the news.
“Just can’t believe it’s taken this long. I won’t believe it until she lands,” she added.
