Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe criticises UK Government for delay in getting released from Iran
21.03.2022 - 16:53
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she will set aside the “black hole in my heart” left by six years of captivity in Iran.
Speaking at a press conference in the House of Commons the former hostage said her treatment by the Iranian government was “cruel”, but she is determined to move forward.
She said: "I almost feel as if I am holding a black hole in my heart, but I am going to leave that black hole on the plane. I am not going to live with a grudge.”
With her husband Richard beside her, the British-Iranian mother paid tribute to his campaign to keep her plight in the spotlight.
But the 43-year-old, who landed back in Britain on Thursday after the UK finally agreed to settle a £400 million debt dating back to the 1970s, criticised the Government for the length of time it took to secure her release.
Pointing out there had been five changes of Foreign Secretary before she was released, she said: “What happened now should have happened six years ago.”
Zaghari-Ratcliffe said the journey back home was “tough”.
After her husband thanked the Government, she said: “I do not really agree with him on that level.”
She said she has seen five Foreign Secretaries over the course of six years, adding: “That is unprecedented given the politics of the UK.
"I love you Richard, respect whatever you believe, but I was told many, many times that ‘Oh we’re going to get you home’. That never happened.”
She added: “I mean, how many foreign secretaries does it take for someone to come home? Five?”
In a dignified and composed appearance, she declined to answer questions about what solitary confinement was like but said she felt “powerless” in jail and just waited “to see what would happen”.
She said: “It will always haunt me. It is never going to leave you