A British national who has spent four years in a notorious Iranian jail has been suffering side effects after being given a mystery "vaccine" by his captors, his family said.
Anoosheh Ashoori's loved ones say they have "no confidence" that the jab was a Covid vaccine, as they held a protest outside Downing Street to mark the anniversary of his arrest.
Today his wife Sherry Izadi and children Aryan and Elika accused Boris Johnson of ignoring their suffering, staging an "empty chair' protest and asking "Why won't you meet us?"
They were joined by Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been arbitrarily detained in Iran since 2016.
The Ashoori family, who live in South London, say the PM has failed to take their case seriously, and called on him to do more to free the 67-year-old retired engineer.
Mr Ashoori, who has dual British and Iranian citizenship, was seized on August 13, 2017 while visiting his elderly mother in Tehran. He was later jailed for 10 years after being convicted of spying in a ruling that has sparked international condemnation.
His family say they are becoming increasingly worried about his health, and said the PM - who was Foreign Secretary when Mr Ashoori was seized - has so far failed them.
Mr Ashoori's wife Sherry Izadi told The Mirror: "He's scared of getting Covid.
"Ten days ago they injected him with something, but a lot of people have had reactions. He's been experiencing backache."
Ms Izadi said her husband was told he had been given a Chinese-manufactured vaccine, which has been approved for emergency use by the World Health Organisation.
But daughter Elika, 35, said: "They could have injected anything, we have no confidence in them."
She described the devastating toll her father's detention in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran is having, stating: "There's so much guilt when you go about living your life when you know how much he's suffering.
"We knew nothing about the world of politics at all four years ago. It has a massive impact on our lives and our mental health."
Ms Izadi said: "Being without him is like trying to drive with just three wheels.
"We hope that Boris Johnson will get the message at last. If this doesn't bring home to him that he should act, we don't know what will."
Son Aryan said he misses his father every day, adding: "He was really involved in trying to help the family."
Today Mr Ratcliffe, whose wife is in "limbo" waiting to find out if she will be returning to prison, voiced his support for the Ashoori family.
"It's almost like a self-help group," he said.
"There aren't many people who can understand what a journey like this is like. Their job and my job is the same - it's to get our loved ones home.
"Today is a difficult day for them because it's four years since Anoosheh's imprisonment, you don't want these anniversaries to just drift past."
Mr Ashoori, who is pictured laughing with his family in treasured family pictures - was arrested while visiting his mother, who is now 89.
He had been due to visit his mother-in-law in Tehran on the day he disappeared, sending the family into panic. It was only two days later that he was able to contact his mum to tell her he was in prison.
Ms Izadi said it is growing harder to believe that her husband will be released before the end of his 10 year sentence - which runs until 2027 - is up.
His family believe he is being used as leverage by Iran to force the UK to pay back a decades-old £450 million debt, and have called for him to be given the same diplomatic status as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
Sixty MPs have written to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab asking him to extend diplomatic protection, with Amnesty International also backing the move.
But Ms Izadi said the family is yet to receive a formal response from the government.
Today Amnesty International chief executive Sacha Deshmukh told The Mirror: "When the British government says it's treating this as a priority, it's becoming increasingly difficult to believe.
"Every day that ticks by is increasingly difficult for Anoosheh's family."
In a statement released today, Mr Raab said: "Iran’s continued detention of Anoosheh Ashoori is wholly unjustified. We call on Iran to end his suffering and allow him to return home to be reunited with his wife Sherry, and children, Aryan and Elika.
"We are doing everything we can to secure the release of Anoosheh and other dual British nationals who have been arbitrarily detained. We call on President Raisi’s administration to start to set a new course for Iran by releasing them."
The Mirror has contacted Number 10 for comment.
