Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe hugs daughter for first time after Iran jail hell

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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe hugs daughter for first time after Iran jail hell
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe hugs daughter for first time after Iran jail hell

THIS is the heart-breaking moment Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe saw her daughter for the first time in six years.

The political prisoner finally arrived home on March 17 last year after being released from an Iranian hell hole jail.

The heart-breaking moment Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is reunited with her family was shown in a documentary on Thursday qhiqquiqqhidekprw
The heart-breaking moment Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is reunited with her family was shown in a documentary on Thursday
The programme follows the families hellish ordeal as they were caught in a diplomatic stalemate over a long-standing £450million tank debt
The programme follows the families hellish ordeal as they were caught in a diplomatic stalemate over a long-standing £450million tank debtCredit: EPA

The clip, filmed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, shows little Gabriella, 8, shout "is that mummy" as Nazanin disembarked from the plane.

Her emotional dad Richard Ratcliffe - who went on a 21-day hunger strike in a desperate campaign for her release - later hugs his wife who he hadn't seen since 2016.

Nazanin was released alongside fellow Brit-Iranian Anoosheh Ashoori following a deal between Britain and Iran.

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The tear-jerking clip was played in documentary Nazanin, which aired on Channel 4 at 9pm this evening.

The programme followed the hellish ordeal of the now 44-year-old and her family as they were caught in a diplomatic stalemate over a long-standing £450 million tank debt.

Chilling bodycam footage showed the moment an officer from Iran's Revolutionary Guard informed Nazanin she was under arrest at Tehran Airport.

Speaking in Farsi, he told her: "I am from the prosecutor's office. I am here to inform you, you are banned from leaving the country.

"We have an order for your arrest. You must come with us to the interrogation department."

The show also explored the relentless setbacks the trio were put through to get Nazanin's freedom.

And one touching moment showed Gabriella trying on a range of outfits in preparation to meet her mum.

But she heartbreakingly asked: "What if this is all a trick?"

Aid worker Nazanin was arrested on April 3, 2016 at Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport and accused of plotting to topple the Iranian regime.

She was prevented from returning home to the UK after visiting family with Gabriella. Nazanin was then imprisoned and spent months in solitary confinement.

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According to her family, the Revolutionary Guard attempted to cajole Nazanin into confessing to training and recruiting spies - a charge she denied.

The mother of one was sentenced to five years in jail in 2016.

She was set to become eligible for early release in late 2017 or early 2018 but was taken back to court and confronted with two new charges.

She was then accused of receiving money from organisations working to overthrow the Islamic Republic.

In August 2018, Nazanin was given a three-day release from prison to visit her daughter.

Fears had been growing for her mental wellbeing, as reports claimed Nazanin was "suicidal" as she awaited a round of sentencing.

On December 24, 2018, hubby Richard joined London Mayor Sadiq Khan to brand her incarceration a "travesty of justice".

In March 2020, she was temporarily released in a response to the Covid pandemic.

She was one of 85,000 prisoners released by Iran and was allowed to live with her parents wearing an ankle tag.

Then in April 2021 Nazanin was handed another year-long sentence and a travel ban, which left her under house arrest in Tehran and unable to return to her husband and daughter in London.

She returned to the UK on March 16, 2022.

Tom Hussey

London, prison, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

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