Latest news with #NazaninZaghariRatcliffe
Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Telegraph style book: Zz
Z Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Nazanin Zanu-PF: the party that ruled Zimbabwe after independence Zeffirelli, Franco Zeta Jones, Catherine Zelensky, Volodymyr (President of Ukraine)
The Sun
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
BBC film about charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's horror Iranian prison ordeal will star Bafta-nominated actor
THE prison ordeal endured by Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family will be featured in a BBC documentary and drama. The British-Iranian charity worker was accused of spying and jailed in Iran in 2016, before being released three years ago. 8 A drama chronicling what happened to Nazanin is being made by the Beeb. Joseph Fiennes plays her husband Richard, who campaigned for her release so she could be reunited with him and their daughter. The four-parter is based on forthcoming book A Yard Of Sky, written by the couple, and Nazanin will be played by Narges Rashidi. In the documentary, which will be screened alongside the drama, the couple talk in detail about what happened and how they are rebuilding their lives. The BBC has yet to confirm when they will be shown. 8 Bella stars in dark comedy THE Last Of Us star Bella Ramsey will lead a Channel 4 drama called Maya, alongside Daisy Haggard. It follows a mum and daughter forced into a witness protection programme who relocate to a rural town in Scotland. The 'darkly comedic' six-parter starts filming later this year. A Grand return by Kevin GRAND Designs: House Of The Year is back as Kevin McCloud takes us on a tour of more of architectural gems. He will be joined by experts Damion Burrows and Natasha Huq to scour the Royal Institute of British Architect's shortlist of projects. 8 The final episode of the four-part series will then unveil the winner of the RIBA House of the Year 2025. Kevin said: 'This series celebrates a sparkling range of what's possible in domestic architecture today. It's a great privilege to be able to help uncover these gems of creative imagination – and of course it's a complete joy to be back presenting House of the Year alongside Natasha and Damion.' The series will hit our screens on Channel 4 later this year. Bear Necessities A FIFTH series of chef comedy drama The Bear starring Jeremy Allen White has been confirmed, hot on the heels of the fourth landing on Disney+ this week. John Landgraf, the boss of FX who make the show created by Christopher Storer, described it as a 'magnificent story'. Phyllis clues up with Kev PHYLLIS LOGAN got to spend more time with her husband than she bargained for – after he was cast as her love interest. She stars as Cora – aka the Puzzle Lady – in whodunnit detective series Murder Most Puzzling on Channel 5 opposite hubby of 14 years 8 The role is opposite Kevin McNally, her husband of 14 years. They had already appeared together as man and wife in BBC One historical drama Miss Austen last year, then got to do it all over again months later. Phyllis, who will be in the third and final Downton Abbey movie playing housekeeper Mrs Carson this September, said: 'I had no idea that he was being offered the part and was surprised and delighted, since I'd been away from home for ages. 'It was lovely to have him visit and to bookend the year by working together again.' The latest episode of Murder Most Puzzling is on today at 8pm. Rider's murder riddle SKY will delve into the shocking death of showjumper Katie Simpson in a new documentary. When the promising young rider died unexpectedly aged 21 in 2020, it was believed she had taken her own life. 8 Then a local journalist in Northern Ireland realised there were similarities between her death and another cold case murder, which led to Jonathan Creswell, the partner of Katie's sister, standing trial. He denied charges of rape and murder but was found dead at home shortly after the trial began in 2024. The three-parter, Death of A Showjumper, which lands on Sky and NOW on July 16, will tell the story through personal accounts from friends and family, and insight from the investigation team. Sacha a hairy scary SACHA BARON COHEN is seriously scary after finally being unveiled as evil adversary Mephisto in Disney+ Marvel miniseries Ironheart. The Ali G and Borat comic is revealed as the soul-manipulating demon in the series finale, complete with long hair and beard. 8 8 The show is based around teenage genius Riri Williams, played by Dominique Thorne, who has created her own version of the Iron Man suit made famous by Robert Downey Jr in the movies. Mephisto appears to tempt Riri to change her troubled past – and make her suit even more powerful with his magic. 8
The Guardian
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe denounces Israeli attack on Iran's Evin prison
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian dual national who spent five years in Evin prison, has denounced Monday's Israeli attack on the jail as a publicity stunt that endangered the lives of prisoners. Writing for the Guardian, she also criticised the Labour government for failing to describe the attacks on Iran as unlawful, saying it set a dangerous precedent. 'It has escalated into a proper war against Iran with the US intervention and the rhetoric of regime change,' she writes. 'The mission creep has been unnerving even for those of us who have suffered at the hands of the Iranian regime.' Zaghari-Ratcliffe said the failure of UK ministers to criticise the US joining the attacks on Iran was dangerous. 'The consequences are felt all around Tehran by families caught between a bomb and hard place,' she said. 'They have felt very alone.' She said her experience in jail had 'taught her that freedom does not come from bombs and brutality, nor from clever stunts for the cameras, it lies through human connection and empathy.' The criticism will sting a Labour government that is facing criticism from left and right for refusing to clarify if it believes the US and Israeli attacks are acts of self-defence. Many Iranians living abroad feel conflicted, in that they oppose Iran's repressive government but do not want to see the country attacked and civilians harmed. The bombing of Evin jail can be taken as a broad hint that the Israeli cabinet is attempting to foment a revolt from political prisoners. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released in March 2022 after the then Conservative government paid back a multimillion debt the UK owed to Iran. The Iranian regime had accused her of spying – a charge she denied and for which no evidence was ever produced. With her husband campaigning for her release, it became increasingly clear she was being held as a state hostage to try to force the UK to pay back its debt arising from a military deal struck with the deposed Shah of Iran. She now lives in London with her husband and daughter. Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she had found the Israeli attacks on Iran so saddening that she had avoided the news and requests for interviews until the attack on Evin. Other former political prisoners with whom she had been in contact were as horrified and scared by the attacks as she had been, she said. 'The lives of those in prison might not matter to the governments fighting but they do to their loved ones, whether ordinary Iranian, the families of political prisoners or families of foreign hostages held far away.' She writes that 'bringing down the gates of Evin jail may have seemed like a symbolic act for a faraway media, but it did not feel like it made anyone safe inside. If anything it took away lives. It hurt some prisoners, made some disappear and be relocated. Many families are now worried sick.' Zaghari-Ratcliffe fears the oppression being undertaken by the Iranian authorities was likely to get worse. 'Iran has started a tighter crackdown on civilians, including cutting the internet and making more arrests. Days are numb with helplessness and outrage.'
Telegraph
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Israel blows gates off Iran's notorious Evin Prison
Israeli forces blew up the gates of Iran's notorious Evin Prison and struck government buildings across Tehran on Monday in the most direct assault on Iran's capital since the war began. Projectiles hit the prison, which houses Iran's political prisoners, causing damage to parts of it and raising the possibility that dissidents may have been able to escape. The gates were destroyed in the strike, although Iranian officials said the situation was 'currently under control.' The strike targeted one of the Islamic Republic's most symbolically important detention facilities, where prominent activists, foreigners, journalists and dissidents have been held for decades. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian dual citizen, was held there for four years on bogus espionage charges. Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, wrote on X that the military 'is carrying out strikes of unprecedented force against regime targets and agencies of government repression in the heart of Tehran' as the Iran-Israel war raged for an 11th day. These included Evin, 'which holds political prisoners and regime opponents', as well as the command centres of the domestic Basij militia and the powerful Revolutionary Guards, he added. Israel began its military campaign against Iran on June 13 with strikes on the country's nuclear and missile facilities, which Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has described as an 'existential' threat to his country. But the list of targets has widened since then, encompassing state television and the Iranian domestic security forces, raising speculation that Israel is seeking to topple Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader. Donald Trump, the US president, hinted at a desire to overthrow Iran's government despite several of his administration officials earlier stressing that US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday morning did not have that goal. 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. However, family members of people inside the prison said the strike put their loved ones 'in mortal danger.' Noemie Kohler, the sister of French national Cecile Kohler, who is jailed there, told AFP: 'This strike is completely irresponsible. Cecile, Jacques and all the prisoners are in mortal danger. This is really the worst thing that could have happened. We have no news, we don't know if they are still alive, we're panicking.' She urged the French authorities to 'condemn these extremely dangerous strikes' and secure the release of the French prisoners, expressing concern about the risk of chaos and riots. The attack came as eight prominent political prisoners inside the facility had written to Iran's judiciary chief calling for temporary release during the ongoing war. In their letter to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the prisoners warned that the country's prisons lacked basic safety measures to protect inmates from missile and drone strikes. Prominent human rights activists including Reza Khandan, Taher Naghavi, and Nasrollah Amirloo signed the letter. 'It is unclear when the current war will end, and Evin Prison, like many other prisons across the country, does not have the facilities to protect prisoners' lives from missile and drone attacks or bombings by Israeli fighter jets,' the letter said. Videos from Tehran showed smoke rising from the Vanak Square area following the air strikes. Power infrastructure in north Tehran was damaged by 'explosion waves from the Zionist regime's attack,' according to the Tasnim news agency. Electricity to customers in Tehran's districts two and three was cut, although officials said there was no widespread blackout across north Tehran. Emergency crews were dispatched to restore power. Israeli forces also struck the Sayyid al-Shuhada Corps, a Revolutionary Guards unit. Additional strikes targeted the headquarters of Iran's internal security forces' information security unit. The Tehran strikes were part of attacks across Iran. At around 9am on Monday, air defence systems were activated at three points around Tabriz as Israeli aircraft approached. Majid Farshi, the director-general of East Azerbaijan's crisis management, said air defences successfully intercepted hostile targets with no explosions in residential areas. However, the attacks have killed 52 people in East Azerbaijan province since the conflict began, Iranian officials said. In western Kermanshah, air defence systems engaged Israeli targets around 7.45 am. Military bases in Karaj and Shahr-e-Rey, near Tehran, were hit by projectiles, though Iran has not released detailed damage assessments. Local sources reported extensive air defence activity in both areas. The Fordow nuclear facility, one of Iran's key uranium enrichment centres, was struck by Israeli forces after the US bombed it on Sunday, local officials said. Morteza Heidari, a spokesman for Qom province's crisis management headquarters, said the attack posed no threat to citizens and the situation remained controlled.
The Sun
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
I visited Iran to see what it's REALLY like – I ended up in hiding in terror and fleeing for my life
EMERGING from a carpet shop in Iran's beautiful and ancient city of Esfahan, I was engulfed by a group of jostling young men. Like a desert mirage, as quickly as they had arrived they were gone. 8 8 8 Patting myself down, a zip on my trouser pocket was undone. My passport was gone. And this so-called Axis of Evil nation had no British Embassy to get a replacement. Hands trembling uncontrollably, my adrenalin-induced sweat of fear smelt like cat's urine. There can be few more hazardous places on Earth for a journalist without papers — and an entry stamp — than the Islamic Republic of Iran. Years later Barry Rosen — — told me how his interrogation played out. With a rifle pressed to his temple, Barry was told he had ten seconds to admit he was a spy. As the grim countdown began, the New Yorker wrestled with the dilemma of either being perceived as a traitor to his country or leaving his kids fatherless. 'On the count of five I relented,' Barry told me. 'I signed the false confession, distraught and completely ashamed.' Barry would eventually return to his loved ones in the US after 444 days in captivity. Britons are high-value hostages for the regime. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained in Iran for six years on trumped-up charges of plotting to topple the Iranian government. She was finally released when Britain paid a £400million outstanding debt to Iran. I would eventually get out — more on how later — after staying with an extraordinarily kind Iranian man who put me up in his apartment and tempered my nerves with some rocket-fuel home brew. Today — with Iran's tyrannical regime in Israeli and US crosshairs — I cast my mind back to the welcoming people I met while travelling this ancient land. These folk loathe rule by the hardline ayatollahs and long for a time less than 50 years ago when women wore miniskirts in capital Tehran, the hair bouncing on their shoulders. I had arrived in Iran — successor state of the Persian Empire — in 2012 with the idea of travelling from Tehran to Persepolis, a millennia-old desert ruin once the centrepiece of its civilisation. On the way I'd talk to ordinary people to try and understand what made this land tick. Did they really think Britain was the cursed Little Satan? 'GREAT SATAN' On landing in Tehran — a high-rise city of 9.8million shrouded by mountains — fleets of white taxis honked their way through the city's awful traffic. In the pollution-choked centre, I was struck by the number of women walking around with white plasters on their noses. Tehran has been called the nose job capital of the world. Women here also face a daily battle over what they can wear in public, with checks made by the dreaded Basij militia network. Yet many were wearing their head scarves pulled back to reveal dyed blonde hair, while their overcoats were colourful and figure-hugging. Since the 1979 Iranian revolution, when the Shah — or king — Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was toppled and replaced by hardline cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Islamic dress has been strictly enforced. Alcohol was banned, protests stifled and unmarried couples prevented from meeting in public. Today, the internet is censored and the regime attempts to scramble satellite TV signals. Near the Taleghani Metro station is the old American embassy — known here as 'the nest of spies' — its walls daubed with murals and slogans decrying the so-called Great Satan. Months after the revolution, students stormed the embassy compound and took 66 Americans hostage. 8 8 A disastrous and aborted US rescue mission the following year — when eight servicemen were killed in a helicopter crash — badly damaged US president Jimmy Carter 's reputation. The lingering stigma of that failure was perhaps a factor in why Donald Trump took his time before deciding to unleash American firepower on Iran. In Palestine Square — in the heart of Tehran — beats a Doomsday Clock predicting Israel' s end by the year 2040. The regime put it there in 2017. It helps explain why Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear sites, senior nuclear scientists and top brass last week. Nearby, I visited the British embassy compound, its gateway overlooked by lion and unicorn statues. Around six months before my visit, diplomats had fled as a frenzied mob of Iran- ian 'students' storm- ed the building and ransacked offices. It would remain shuttered for nearly four years. The rioters — who were chanting 'Death To England' — were in fact state-sponsored Basij thugs. It is the same sinister paramilitary force that is responsible for the policing of morals in this hardline Shi'ite Muslim state, including the wearing of the hijab or headscarf. Yet these repressive goons are far from representative of the beating heart of this oil-rich nation. A short stroll away in the teeming Grand Bazaar, women shoppers, in the all- covering black cloak-like chador, were out looking for bargains. But surprisingly, Union Jack-patterned knickers and bra combos were on sale on at least three stalls. American stars and stripes underwear was also available in several shops. One black-clad shopper in her thirties told me: 'The underwear is very popular. 'We have nothing against your country.' The message that the lingerie worn under the chadors sent out was clear: Knickers to the hardliners. Indeed, as a metaphor for things being very different under the surface in Iran, it couldn't be bettered. Another stall sold Manchester United bath towels in a nation where the Premier League is avidly followed. 'We don't hate Britain,' a 26-year-old Red Devils-mad taxi driver told me. 'Far from it. 'We admire your freedom.' After a few days in Tehran I took a shared taxi on the five-hour, 280-mile journey to Iran's third largest city Esfahan. It's home to an exquisite square overlooked by the imposing aquamarine dome of Shah Mosque, regarded as one of the masterpieces of Persian architecture. The city's outskirts are also home to one of the largest uranium enrichment facilities in the country. 'EVERYBODY BREWS THEIR OWN NOW' Terrified that Iran was close to producing a nuclear weapon to make good on its doomsday prophecy, the site was pummeled by more than two dozen US Tomahawk cruise missiles on Sunday morning. I had checked into a largely empty hotel in the city centre which had no safe for valuables. That evening I went out shopping for a Persian rug. Warily passing some soldiers in the street, I was dismayed to see them beckon me over. Yet they simply wanted a selfie alongside a rare Western traveller. Emerging with my new carpet, I was heading for an electronics store bearing a fake Apple logo when I was surrounded by pickpockets. Now passportless, I was petrified about being stopped by police and asked to produce my documents. I then remembered meeting some Iranian migrants in Calais who had told me they used to work as smugglers, trekking over the mountains from Iran to Turkey with some contraband alcohol in backpacks. Finding an internet cafe to research the journey, a man started using the computer next to me to watch porn. The idea of attempting to walk alone over rugged mountains seemed more hazardous than another internet suggestion — go to another country's embassy and throw myself at their mercy. Travelling back to Tehran I attempted to check into a hotel but the receptionist insisted I needed to show my passport. When I explained my predicament, he told me: 'I'll phone the police and they'll sort this out.' 8 I told him I needed to collect my luggage then scarpered. Knowing no one in the country, a contact then put me in touch with someone who could put me up. The grey-haired father lived alone in a ramshackle flat and said I was welcome to the sofa. 'I was jailed for protesting against the Shah when he ruled,' he told me. 'Now I wish I hadn't bothered. 'This regime is far worse. 'We have far less freedom now.' Deciding the Dutch would be most amenable to a stricken Brit, I tried their embassy but it was closed for holidays. So I went to the Danes instead. They took my details and I was told to return the following day. Presented with a paper Danish temporary passport 24 hours later, I profusely thanked the embassy staff for making me an honorary viking. Taking a cab to the airport, I checked my bag on the flight then queued up at immigration dreaming of a glass of red on the plane. A bearded border guard disdainfully looked at my Danish passport, sniffing as he tossed it away: 'No good, no ministry stamp.' It was back to my new friend's sofa to watch subtitled TV, including shows with Jamie Oliver and James May. The former prisoner — raising a glass of home-distilled spirits — revealed: 'Twice every year the police go upon the roof and smash up all our satellite dishes. 'But we simply go out and buy some more. 8 'There's a saying here that the regime closed down thousands of brewers during the revolution but created a million more. 'Everybody brews their own now.' After two days queuing at the relevant Iranian ministry — and praying that they wouldn't google my identity — I finally got my stamp. My plane banked over the vast mausoleum built to house Khomeini's remains as it headed west. One after another, most of the women on the flight removed their head scarves, then their restrictive chadors. Settling with a glass of wine, I hoped one day to return to this fascinating land under better circumstances. Now, with the ayatollahs' regime perhaps at threat of being toppled, I may one day make it to Persepolis.
