UK must act more promptly over latest Iran detentions, says Richard Ratcliffe
The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has called on ministers to act 'more promptly' than they did to help free his wife, after Iran detained a British couple on a motorcycle trip.
Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife was freed in 2022 after five years in a Tehran prison, expressed fears that the couple would now face the 'brutal theatre' of court process to 'get the government's attention'.
'My heart goes out to them and I hope they are not in for a long ordeal, and that the government is able to respond more promptly than it did in our case,' said Ratcliffe, who went on hunger strike twice in a campaign for his wife's release.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who are in their early 50s, were reportedly held in January after entering Iran for a five-day visit, part of a motorbike trip around the world.
The family spoke of their concern at the 'distressing situation' facing the Foremans, who are being held in the southern city of Kerman. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual national, was transferred to Kerman after her initial arrest.
The couple were heading for Australia, having crossed into Iran from Armenia on 30 December, according to social media posts. From Iran the couple had shared updates, including plans to enter Pakistan next.
This week state media published photographs purportedly showing the UK ambassador to Iran, Hugo Shorter, meeting the couple, whom the country has called 'national security' suspects.
The published photo shows that a meeting on Wednesday was held in the presence of a Kerman prosecutor, Mehdi Bakhshi, and the Kerman governor's deputy for security and law enforcement, Rahman Jalal.
The latest post on the Foremans' Facebook page, from Isfahan in Iran on 3 January, includes selfies apparently showing the couple, with the caption: 'What a wonderful place.'
The Foreign Office, which advises against all travel to Iran, has been approached for comment.
The UK government advises that British and dual nationals are at significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention in Iran, and that a British passport or UK connections 'can be reason enough' to be detained by Iranian authorities.
At least 66 foreign and dual nationals have been detained by Iran since 2010, according to research published by the University of Essex in 2022, as part of a growing practice of 'politically motivated arrests' that has been decried by Human Rights Watch.
After the death in September 2022 of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin who had been arrested three days earlier for allegedly breaching the Islamic dress code for women, at least 40 foreign and dual nationals were arrested.
Ratcliffe said of the Foremans: 'The top priority for the government should be to make sure they get to visit and that they are not being kept in solitary. It will be important they do not feel alone. A court process may soon come. It's not a real court. But it will be a form of brutal theatre to get the government's attention.'
Mehran Raoof, a dual national and labour rights activist, has been in prison in Iran since 2020 facing national security-related charges.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
31 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner gloats cops ‘will NEVER pin case on me without a body' in sick letter
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MADELEINE McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner has gloated that police will never pin the case on him without a body. In a sickening letter, the German sex fiend, 48, also goaded 'the dropping of the investigation will hit the world like a bomb'. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Prime suspect Christian Brueckner goaded cops in a sick letter bragging that they will not find a body Credit: Darren Fletcher 9 British toddler Madeleine McCann disappeared from Praia da Luz in Portugal back in 2007 Credit: AFP 9 Bruckner taunted cops in a letter to claim they cannot find evidence against him 9 Police officers packed up a tent as they ended day one of their search for evidence connected to Madeleine McCann's disappearance Credit: PA The German paedophile bragged in a letter police do not have the evidence to back their accusations against him in the investigation into the toddler's disappearance. And Brueckner, 48, in jail in his homeland for rape, taunted cops, saying: 'Is there a body? No, no no.' The vile letter emerged as officers desperate to find a forensic link to him flew back to Germany after a fresh, three-day search in Portugal. They had combed scrubland close to where Madeleine vanished aged three from a holiday villa in Praia da Luz in 2007. German prosecutors are convinced of the predator's guilt — but he has never been charged and denies any involvement. Last month, a Sun investigation aired on Channel 4 revealed new bombshell evidence found at Brueckner's lair — including a kids' bike and a balaclava mask, as well as toys, guns and memory cards containing child kidnap stories. We revealed that he wrote horrifying fantasies about abducting and abusing a blonde toddler — and how this would leave him 'in paradise'. He also boasted in online forums about his desire to 'capture something small and use it for days'. But, in the verified letter seen by The Sun, Brueckner insists there is no evidence against him. He wrote: 'It is the important questions, the decisive questions that can never be answered. Madeleine McCann cops call off search as trawl of Brueckner's 'rat run' turns up nothing 'Was I or my vehicle clearly seen near the crime scene on the night of the crime? "Is there DNA evidence of me at the crime scene? Are there DNA traces of the injured party in my vehicle? 'Are there other traces/DNA carriers of the injured party in my possession? Photos? 'And, not to forget, is there a body/corpse? All no, no no.' He adds: 'You don't have to be a realist like me to predict that the accusations made against me will not hold up and that the investigation will be dropped.' Brueckner — named as a Madeleine suspect for five years — has also revealed in creepy letters a knowledge of how the German legal system works in his favour. He wrote: 'You know, of course, that in Germany you don't have to prove your innocence as a suspect, but that the public prosecutor's office has to prove that you are clearly guilty. 'Even the slightest doubt leads to an acquittal, if there is a court hearing at all.' 9 Portuguese police are searching various sites in and around the resort of Praia da Luz Credit: Dan Charity 9 The locations are around where Brueckner stayed in his car or in camping grounds Credit: Dan Charity Brueckner even claims the case against him is built on 'purchased witnesses' and reveals his awareness of his global notoriety. He added: 'Now, my path is paved with misjudgements, so to speak, but from now on the whole world is watching. 'Not even the Braunschweig regional court will now dare to make an obvious misjudgement. 'Even if an attempt is currently being made to create a shocking overall picture of me through purchased witnesses, it is the important questions, the decisive questions that can never be answered with 'yes'.' The latest hunt for DNA or forensic links on the case appeared to have ended without success on Thursday. Police were seen taking fibres by hand while a hole was dug at the site of an apparent tent from around the time of Madeleine's disappearance. However, it was unclear whether the search had found anything was found with enough potential value to the case it merited being sent back to Germany for testing. Brueckner had already moved out of his cottage in Praia da Luz when three-year-old Madeleine, from Rothley, Leics, arrived in the resort with parents Gerry and Kate and her two-year-old twin siblings. Those who want to understand how brutal the German justice system is in its attempts to hammer through its own law, even if nothing is true. Christian Brueckner He was living in his car, or wild camping in areas including this week's search site. In another letter seen by The Sun, Brueckner described how he used his drifter lifestyle to avoid detection. He wrote: 'Do you know that I was a drug dealer at that time in 2007? Investigators know this. 'I bought marijuana in Spain and sold it on beaches in the Algarve. 'I was never caught by the police because I followed a few principles. 'If possible, only drive during the day so that my battered hippie bus doesn't attract so much attention, only drive the necessary and most importantly, never provoke the police.' 9 Brueckner has been named as a Madeleine suspect for five years 9 Forensic cops comb scrubland close to where Madeleine vanished aged three from a holiday Credit: Dan Charity He added: 'Together with my dog and a lover at the time I enjoyed the 'temporary hippie life'.' The seeming failure of long-shot searches this week to find any traces of Madeleine is the latest in a string of blows for the case. German authorities, who maintain Madeleine is dead, are racing to find a way to keep dangerous Brueckner behind bars after he was cleared of further rape allegations last year. He told this week he plans to 'hide' when he is released — as soon as September 17 — taking hopes for the Madeleine case with him. The pervert was jailed in 2019 for the 2005 rape of an American pensioner just streets from the Ocean Club, where the McCanns stayed in Praia da Luz. In his letters, he whinges he has been framed so he can be scapegoated over the Madeleine case. Brueckner wrote: 'Right from the start they plotted a miscarriage of justice to make me vanish into thin air. And now half the world knows why.' And he adds: 'I am not exaggerating when I say that 80 per cent of what I have heard from the reports is not true. 'A large proportion of these lies are clearly being spread by the investigating authorities. "My words are directed at those who are taking this seriously and are not laughing about it. 'Those who want to understand how brutal the German justice system is in its attempts to hammer through its own law, even if nothing is true.' The Sun investigation aired on Channel 4 revealed the existence of computer hard drives which were vital in to persuading investigators of Madeleine's death. Our findings placed Brueckner at key Madeleine search point — the Arades Dam, in Portugal. And a document puts him at the location where he allegedly said 'she did not scream' as he discussed her with an associate. In the online message where he brags to another sicko that he really wanted to 'capture something small', he adds it would not matter 'if the evidence is destroyed afterwards'. German investigators last night remained hopeful British police might rejoin the investigation as an active inquiry.
Channel 4
an hour ago
- Channel 4
Mass casualties ‘change you as a person', says Gaza surgeon
In Israel, the military has said that four of its soldiers were killed today and five injured when a booby-trapped building collapsed in Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip. Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed at least 16 Palestinians. In Jabalia to the north one strike reportedly left dozens trapped under rubble. It comes as Gazans marked the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adhar amid a precarious humanitarian situation. The controversial Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it had given out over eight thousands food boxes today at two sites – but then halted all operations due to what they called 'excessive crowding'. We spoke to Goher Rabhour, an NHS surgeon who has been working in Gaza's Nasr hospital.
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
New details about 2023 Titan submersible implosion revealed in Netflix documentary
An upcoming Netflix documentary reveals new details about the June 2023 Titan submersible, which was traveling to the wreck of the Titanic when it imploded, killing all five people aboard. "Titan: The OceanGate Disaster" looks at the warnings that were ignored about the submersible's designs. David Lochridge, the chief submersible pilot, tried to warn the company's CEO about the potential dangers and was fired for doing so. "There was nothing safe on that vehicle at all, hence why I raised my concerns verbally and also put them down on paper as well," Lochridge told the "TODAY" show. "When I raised the concerns and put them down on paper, on my quality inspection report, I was subsequently taken into the boardroom. Over a two-hour 10-minute period, I was dismissed from the company. So I was fired, basically." A part of Lochridge's job was to assist with the build of the submersible and then take the paying customers down to the wreck. OceanGate charged passengers $250,000 apiece to visit the site. Lochridge said he expressed his concerns over the course of the submersible being built. Part of his worries stemmed from the carbon fiber design of the submersible, which he said wasn't safe for deep dives. He also filed a federal whistleblower complaint and lawsuit to try and get the warning out to the public. The underwater vessel disappeared June 18 after officials said it suffered a " catastrophic implosion." OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61, who was piloting the Titan; deep sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, who was experienced in visiting the Titanic wreck site; British tycoon Hamish Harding, 58; and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son, Suleman, 19, were killed. OceanGate said in a statement Thursday: "We again offer our deepest condolences to the families of those who died on June 18, 2023, and to all those impacted by the tragedy." The company said it "permanently wound down its operations" after the tragedy and is fully cooperating with investigations being conducted by the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board.
