CHAINS CLINK
My name is Richard Ratcliffe,
husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
Today was to have been day 15 of our joint hunger strike.
I say "was" because we have just received a call from Evin Prison
to say that Nazanin has broken her hunger strike,
and I will now break mine.
RICHARD: We have been protesting Nazanin's continued incarceration
as she faces the trauma of Gabriella's return to the UK.
But as a mother, she will always do what is best for her daughter.
We are an ordinary family. An innocent family.
And hopefully soon we will be together again
and hopefully Nazanin will receive the medical attention
she has so far been denied. Thank you.
INDISTINCT CHAT THROUGHOUT
Oh! Just so beautiful.
NAZANIN: Today is Sunday,
and they've granted me a final visit with Gisou.
Part of me cannot wait to hold her, smell and kiss her.
Mama!
Another part of me knows that it is for the last time.
Until when?
I am broken.
And this is home. This is where we live.
You, me and Mummy.
You probably don't remember any of it. You were tiny.
Richard, where shall I put the suitcases?
Um, yeah, we can pop them in the bedrooms, through here.
Mohammad, this is your room.
You can put your stuff in here and, Gabriella,
this is your bedroom next door to Mummy and Daddy's room.
UNTRANSLATED
Um...Mohammad?
Gabriella's saying something.
UNTRANSLATED
She says the bed is for a baby.
Oh, yes.
I'm sorry. Um, you see, the last time you were here,
the last time I saw you, you were a baby.
MOHAMMAD TRANSLATES
Um... We'll buy you a big girl's bed.
A new bed. Big girl's bed.
Because you will need lots of sleep to do well in school.
MOHAMMAD TRANSLATES
Oh, you must be tired. Um, would you like a glass of milk?
MOHAMMAD TRANSLATES
And a biscuit. Follow me.
This is, um... This is the kitchen in here.
Now, I've got a really good book here. Shall I read you a story?
UNTRANSLATED
It's OK. No, no. I need to know what she said.
She wants Grandmother to read to her story.
Understandable.
Her grandmother has been her mother.
Yeah.
Why don't you read it? No, no, you go. Try.
Richard, how relieved are you to have Gabriella home?
Oh, it's, um, wonderful, of course, to see her again
after three and a half years.
Um, to be able to read her a bedtime story, which I did last night.
She's a lot bigger, of course.
She went out aged one and three quarters
and came back five with her own views, thank you very much.
REPORTERS CHUCKLE
Um, it's wonderful.
Not a relief, as such.
She was always safe, always loved, living with her grandparents.
And, of course, she would visit Mummy.
Gabriella coming home to Britain
will be difficult for both her and Nazanin.
The next step, of course, is to bring Nazanin home,
and I believe that can only be done
with the repayment of the £400 million debt.
Regardless of what the Government says,
that is what this whole mess is about.
Does Gabriella speak English? No, she does not.
She might understand a little, but she converses in Farsi.
She's very much looking forward to starting school.
And as soon as that happens, I'm sure her English will follow.
Oh, speaking of the devil. Or should I say angel?
She's decided to show her face, and with a cake as well.
Do you want to put it up here and we'll share it?
Oh, we can cut it. It's a... It's a celebration cake, isn't it?
Um...this is Gabriella.
Nazanin!
ALL CHANT
Narges.
GABRIELLA SPEAKS FARSI
She says she doesn't want to write a letter for Father Christmas.
She doesn't want him to come in her house.
I think she might be afraid of this stranger.
What do you call Father Christmas in Iran?
Baba Noel, no? Yes, Baba Noel.
OK. Well, Gabriella, he's the same person.
Just a different name. In England, we call Baba Noel
Father Christmas and English children
write to Father Christmas.
UNTRANSLATED
An English girl.
UNTRANSLATED
Can she write another list in English?
Yes. Yes, of course.
But, look, we can just, um, copy the letters out.
D...
..o...
..l.
Doll. Doll.
R...a... Rabbit.
I'm ready, Daddy. Are you ready?
Yes. Go!
Oh, my goodness! You look fantastic!
You look so clever already.
Oh, Mummy is going to be so pleased to see this one day.
And a twirl!
Why is Mummy staying with Mamani?
Well, she's not allowed to leave Iran.
She's allowed to go outside, but not too far,
just to the end of the street.
It's really good Mummy isn't in prison,
but it's still sad she can't come home. Not yet.
Does that make sense?
One more Christmas and then in March of next year, that'll be five years.
Her sentence over.
You'll be nearly seven.
Goodness me, an old lady.
GABRIELLA SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY
I'm not in prison, but I'm still a prisoner.
I cannot wander more than 150 metres from my home,
but I can see her 3,000 miles away.
I spent days on end watching her.
But I'm never with her.
GABRIELLA: Children, today we are learning letters.
Off. Off.
Not.
BOTH: Not.
On.
BOTH: On.
Off. BOTH: Off.
Richard, are you working on the laptop again?
Sorry. You're working on the laptop.
100 days. It was her.
Mohammad?
Can you not do that, please?
The cupboards are a little dusty. I am reorganising.
Is he annoying you? No, no. No, no. No, just lived alone for too long.
QUIETLY: We're all going a little bit lockdown crazy.
Yes! Well done. High five.
So good. Good jumping, kangaroo. Well done.
REPORTER: After almost five years of separation from her family,
the British Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
has been released at the end of her sentence in Iran...
REPORTER: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was jailed in Iran
nearly five years ago, has had her ankle tag removed
by the authorities to mark the end of her sentence,
raising hopes of a return to Britain.
KNOCK ON DOOR
They couldn't be bothered to send somebody to her trial.
Just to sit there.
"Not in their best interest," they said.
They didn't even know when her first sentence ended.
It's like she's not enough.
Give up all those millions of pounds for one dual national mother.
Not a fucking chance.
It's leverage.
Not to be squandered.
They'll never pay.
Ooh... Five. Can you do it?
Well done.
"My dear Richard.
"Never in a million years did I think
"you would need to endure another hunger strike.
"I know you're adamant that this is the only way to make us visible
"and I respect your decision but
"please don't put your health in danger."
INDISTINCT CHAT
"I'm scared.
"Properly scared.
"My mind is constantly with you and Gisou.
"I wonder what she feels about all this
"and how much of this strange reality she'll remember."
So, school is cool.
It is cool. And what about your teachers?
Cool. And you've made lots of friends.
They're, um...cool. Oh.
Well, that's cool.
WOMAN CHUCKLES
You're very brave.
Yeah.
This way, please.
Undersecretary James Cleverly is joining us.
There we are. Thanks for coming in.
I simply wanted to say hello, see how you are,
and to assure you that we are doing everything we can
to, firstly...to bring her home and, secondly,
to stop her returning to prison.
Your wife's release is a high priority. Yes.
What is it you are doing exactly?
I'm prepared to do whatever it takes.
But obviously there are things I can't talk to you about.
And I'm acutely aware of not making any missteps.
I've heard all this before, and for years.
I've been asked to trust you and to remain patient.
I can no longer do either.
Nothing has changed.
She is not a prisoner, as such.
Fundamentally, she is a British citizen
who is being used as a bargaining chip.
When will the Foreign Office acknowledge this fact?
What do you intend to do about it?
Everything we can possibly do. Um...
Foreign Secretary, do you think it would help
if you just paid the Iranians the money that is owing to them?
As I said at the beginning,
there are some things that I can't possibly talk about.
We have known for years.
It's all about Britain's failure to honour the IMF's debt,
despite it being a legal obligation.
But now, post-Brexit,
EU sanctions have completely fallen away. So...
..there can be no more excuses. It just needs to be paid.
Are you discussing the debt with the Iranians?
We can't disclose details of conversations,
but we always, always, always
bring up the legitimacy of Nazanin's detention.
Sorry. I just wanted to say your wife looks so lovely.
It's just so awful what's happened. Yes.
And I hope you're together again very soon.
Thank you. Thank you.
Hundreds of comments like that on social media. And the press?
Creeping interest, I'd say.
Day 15...there'll be more interest.
Day 15 onwards it becomes more dangerous.
Oh. Good.
BELLS PEAL
You'll never guess who walked past the other day.
The Queen?
Boris. Johnson.
Didn't stop, didn't acknowledge me.
Just kept his head down and walked right past. Oh, my God.
Why couldn't he just say hello? Yeah. Or wave.
Actually, it's not allowed. I've been told that Conservative MPs
are forbidden to speak to me.
That is ridiculous. Some of them came along anyway and said hi.
Jeremy Hunt came by.
Oh, good. I'm glad.
And a huge number of MPs from other parties.
So at least we're visible again.
How are you? The truth. Do not say fantastic.
Feet are cold.
Feet are fucking freezing.
Thank you.
Thanks for stopping by. Keep it going. Thank you. We will.
Hello. How are you?
INDISTINCT CHAT
..we'll take all we can get, we need to keep pushing.
CAMERA CLICKS, RICHARD SIGHS
REPORTERS: The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe,
the mother from West Hampstead, who is being detained in Iran,
says he is looking and feeling rough...
..on his 16th day of a hunger strike,
demanding the Government does more to help secure his wife's...
..wife is being detained because the UK failed to pay a debt to Iran
for an arms deal in the 1970s... Richard. Richard.
Hi. Oh, thank you for coming and stopping by. Thank you so much.
No, no. Thank you for doing this.
Anoosheh would be so grateful.
Oh, no, no. Not at all.
Look, we brought a photo and...
Oh... ..a sign. Yes, fantastic. Of Anoosheh.
Can we put them up on display? Yeah. Shall we put them up over here?
And we'd like to stay with you. Camp with you. Tonight.
Is that OK if the kids stay with you?
That would be most welcome. Thank you.
Richard!
Find a space. Thank you.
They want to see us. There must be news.
When? Now? Now.
Good morning. Hi, John. Come in. Yes, John.
Hello, Richard. Thank you for coming in.
How are you? Let's get you sat down, shall we? Thank you. There we go.
The Foreign Secretary isn't here?
Liz had other business.
Another photograph in a tank, maybe.
Um...Richard... Um...this morning
I met with the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister.
The meeting went as well as I could have hoped.
Pleased to hear that. He understood completely
our disappointment that despite serving her full sentence,
Nazanin remains captive.
So...what's changed? What's happening next?
Well, we are making inroads.
We're making what I believe to be real progress.
So the answer to the question "What's changed?" is...
..nothing has changed.
It's as we were, so to speak.
We are making headway
towards the release of your wife and other detainees.
Hostages.
Call them what they are.
Hostages.
I'm hearing that you called me up here... No, it's OK, Dad.
You called me up here on day 18 of my protest
to tell me you've met with the Iranian Foreign Minister
and nothing happened.
We were heard and progress was made.
Despite your protest.
We are asking... I'm protesting
because you're doing nothing about the debt,
nothing about hostage taking,
nothing about diplomatic protection!
You've established no red lines!
At this rate, she will be put back into prison
and you'll still do nothing!
Richard, please, we...
We are merely asking for your patience.
MUSIC ON SOUNDTRACK DROWNS OUT SPEECH
Still feeling a little woozy? Mm.
I think it's time to call it a day.
21 days tomorrow.
You've done it, Rick. People know her again.
They know her story. They know about the debt.
If she goes back inside, it could be for years.
I bought her three months at best.
OK.
This is the last night. Tomorrow...we go home.
Thank you.
PHONE RINGS
Hello?
I have no choice. I must see them today.
Look, if you don't call...
..I'll make contact with the embassy in Tehran.
I can't go back to prison. I can't do that. Nazanin...
SIGHS
Don't tell Gisou. No, no, not yet.
Let's just talk about something else. Yes.
Yeah, of course. Um...
Where do you renew your passport?
Police station.
Oh...
Can it be true?
Shit...
I'm beginning to hope.
CAMERA CLICKS
Mm-hm.
PHONE BUZZES
Hello.
Don't go. Refuse to go. I have to go.
Listen, it's clearly a lie. If there was a problem with the photograph,
they would have told you at the time.
Richard, I don't want to go,
but I know I have to go, so I'm telling you where I'll be.
Call the embassy. Speak to the embassy. Speak to the ambassador.
If it's real, they'll know about it.
You will wait for me? Of course I'll wait for you.
We've been assured it's further questions, nothing more.
EXHALES
We weren't sure how much longer you'd be.
Can you give us a minute?
As the British ambassador,
I would like to inform you
they want me to sign a form.
A confession.
Look, it means nothing. I'm not signing.
I've done nothing wrong. I told them I'd speak to my lawyer.
They also said I'm being swapped for money.
Shouldn't have mentioned money. Why not?
It's always been about the debt. Nazanin, I believe it
to be in your best interests to go back and sign the form.
Please understand
that it has no legal standing under British law.
It means nothing.
To you it means nothing.
Sign the form and as early as tomorrow
you may receive notification to go to the airport.
PHONE RINGS
Yes, hello? Richard, it's the Foreign Office here.
Lead negotiator on Nazanin's case.
I'm calling from the British Embassy in Tehran.
You were expecting my call? I was.
But not from...Tehran.
I'll be brief and to the point.
We are requesting that you are now very careful with the media
and your comments in general, please.
Things are extremely sensitive, and we all need to tread carefully.
You'd like me to remain quiet?
Yes. We would.
For how long?
I can't put a timescale on things.
Just as I cannot emphasise enough how delicate things are.
I understand. Completely.
OK. Thank you. Bye.
Excuse me, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe?
I am a representative of the Omani Government.
I'm here to observe only. Mr Anoosheh Ashoori is here also.
Thank you.
UNTRANSLATED
PHONE BUZZES
ENGINE STARTS
Nazanin.
May I call you Nazanin? Yes.
I'm the lead negotiator from the Foreign Office.
They tell me you are refusing to sign.
Of course I'm refusing to sign. It's blank.
They could write anything they like. It's a lie.
May I have a private moment, please?
Thank you.
Nazanin, we are very close to your release.
I don't trust them. I am asking you to trust me.
The document...
It's... It's meaningless. I've done nothing wrong.
I want them to understand that. You'll be signing under duress.
If you do not sign, I cannot guarantee your release.
You will not be boarding the airplane
that's now sitting on the runway waiting for you.
Your family are waiting for you.
PHONE BUZZES
UNTRANSLATED SINGING
UNTRANSLATED
I missed you so much!