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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Neil Murphy

Brit mum Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe ends hunger strike in Iran jail after 15 days

Imprisoned British mum Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has ended her hunger strike in an Iranian jail after 15 days.

Her husband Richard has also ended his own hunger strike outside the Iranian Embassy in London.

He said his wife had eaten some porridge with apple and banana, in an interview with BBC's Today programme this morning.

Richard said: "I'm relieved because I wouldn't have wanted her to push it much longer."

She remains in prison, having been jailed in April 2016 on charges of spying.

Her 4-year-old daughter Gabriella is still in Iran so she can visit her mum - but it was reported that she will be returning to the UK soon for school.

Her husband Richard Ratcliffe was also on hunger strike outside the Iranian Embassy in London (Dan Kitwood)
Richard pictured at home in London in 2018 (MDM)

The Free Nazanin Twitter account said: "Richard got a phone call from Nazanin from Evin prison this morning - to announce that she has broken her hunger strike.

"She had broken her strike with banana and apple and a small bit of porridge. Richard's strike will also end today and we will be packing down our camp."

A second tweet said: "Thanks to everyone who has supported us so overwhelmingly these past 2 weeks - friends, family, all the MPs, but most of all, the lovely people who have come from around the country to sign our visitors book or bring flowers or send messages of care. #FreeNazanin" 

Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her daughter Gabriella (PA)
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe saying goobye to her young daughter Gabriella (The Free Nazanin campaign/PA)

Richard later said his Nazanin had wanted to end her hunger strike on her own terms.

He told PA that it was too early to know what they had achieved but the couple felt they had got their point across.

He added: "She wanted to make a clear statement that enough was enough, but it was important she didn't take it too far for her health and for Gabriella (their young daughter). When you go on hunger strike you play with fire.

"It's a bit early to know what we have achieved, obviously the demand was that she be released.

"I don't think we were expecting that she would be released, what we were expecting was the Iranian authorities would realise it's unacceptable to keep holding her and we need to find a way to solve this."

Mr Ratcliffe also said that Tory leadership candidate Boris Johnson should take responsibility for his mistakes.

He added: "Of course it's not all his fault, clearly we are camped here because the Iranian authorities are imprisoning Nazanin, but he should take responsibility for his mistakes because they have consequences."

Mr Johnson has since apologised for saying in a speech that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was in Iran "teaching people journalism" - despite her family's insistence that she was visiting relatives - which was used against her during her trial.

"Not just the gaffe, the failure to apologise afterwards clearly made things worse.

 
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