Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: 'Readjusting to UK life was hard'

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said readjusting to beingness successful the UK aft six years successful an Iranian jailhouse had been slower than she had expected.

The British-Iranian nationalist said protests and civil unrest successful Iran since her merchandise had kept her communicative "fresh connected a regular basis".

"I resonated precise overmuch with what they person gone through," she said.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested successful Iran successful 2016 connected spying charges, which she denied.

She was released successful March 2022 and returned to the UK pursuing a sustained campaign.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe made the comments connected Friday astatine Glastonbury Festival, wherever she was giving a speech astir Iranian women's rights.

Asked what it has been similar readjusting to beingness successful the UK, she said: "A batch slower than what I thought it would be.

"Just due to the fact that aboriginal connected erstwhile I was released, the uprising successful Iran happened... since past I went done stories of galore different radical who were arrested, and past their stories came out."

She discussed the interaction of seeing unrest which centred connected the decease of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini successful September portion successful constabulary custody for wearing her hijab excessively loosely.

"My communicative was each of a abrupt truthful caller connected a regular ground and I couldn't get myself retired of it - it was precise hard," she told the audience.

"So I deliberation settling down was a batch much analyzable and hard than what I was expecting due to the fact that of what is happening.

"But, you know, I can't complain. I'm escaped and I'm out, whereas galore of my friends are inactive successful prison."

During the talk, she said the archetypal names of the friends she was inactive campaigning to free: Nilufar, Sepideh, Mahvash, Fariba, Morad, Siamak, Emaad and Nargess.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, from West Hampstead successful London, said she felt the continued unrest successful Iran was nary longer getting the attraction it deserved.

"I deliberation erstwhile this full uprising happened backmost successful September 2022, determination was a batch of momentum, but then, of course, the satellite moves on," she said.

It highlighted examples of "ministerial clumsiness" and "hurtful comments" successful its connection with families.

Mr Ratcliffe described it arsenic an important report.

"At the moment, cases similar Nazanin's are reasonably rare... but they're growing, and that maturation is thing that the authorities is not truly dealing with," helium said.

"The head-in-the-sand 'let's anticipation we support this astatine a debased level' [approach] and negociate it similar you would with a truly uncommon unwellness - it doesn't work.

"There are a fig of countries who are taking hostages, determination aren't galore that marque the media, determination aren't galore that the authorities volition admit arsenic hostages oregon adjacent admit arsenic arbitrarily detained.

"We'll await to spot whether the authorities says 'yes, hands up, we request to get better' oregon whether what we get is simply a 'we'll transportation connected what we're presently doing but we'll tweak astir the edges'.

"I've had some successful my time... truthful let's spot what comes."

The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.

Previously, it said: "The champion interests of British nationalist detainees is astatine the bosom of our consular enactment and we enactment and enactment with their families wherever we can."