Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s return to the UK is first and foremost a moment of joy for her family; politics can wait. A mother and her young daughter, separated for nearly six years, can hold each other again. The loss of those years and the terror of not knowing how much longer the captivity would go on are hard for others to fathom. But that does not prevent us sharing gratitude that the ordeal is over.
The longing for reunion was a private grief, but its realisation has lifted public spirits. The relief is contagious. Richard Ratcliffe’s fortitude through the years of demanding that the government do whatever was required to secure his wife’s freedom has its deserved reward. He was wise to ignore Foreign Office requests that he be quieter on the subject.
