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Jailed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe 'eligible for early release' | Jailed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe 'eligible for early release' |
(35 minutes later) | |
British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been held in Iran for 18 months, has been told she is eligible for early release, her husband has said. | |
Richard Ratcliffe told BBC Radio 5 Live that an Iranian judiciary database had listed her as "eligible for release". | Richard Ratcliffe told BBC Radio 5 Live that an Iranian judiciary database had listed her as "eligible for release". |
He said her lawyer was "hopeful" when he visited her in prison on Wednesday. | He said her lawyer was "hopeful" when he visited her in prison on Wednesday. |
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held in Iran since April 2016 after being accused of spying - charges she denies. | Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held in Iran since April 2016 after being accused of spying - charges she denies. |
Her family have always maintained she was on holiday with her daughter. | |
'Clearly hopeful' | 'Clearly hopeful' |
Mr Ratcliffe said his wife's case had previously been marked as "closed", so the status change was "great news". | Mr Ratcliffe said his wife's case had previously been marked as "closed", so the status change was "great news". |
"Part of me is trying not to get too hopeful and just to keep calm just in case there is more to come," he said. | "Part of me is trying not to get too hopeful and just to keep calm just in case there is more to come," he said. |
"But he (her lawyer) was clearly hopeful. He told her that it's a matter of finalising paperwork and it might be days to weeks rather than tomorrow morning. | "But he (her lawyer) was clearly hopeful. He told her that it's a matter of finalising paperwork and it might be days to weeks rather than tomorrow morning. |
"But definitely it feels like the end is much closer in sight." | "But definitely it feels like the end is much closer in sight." |
Mr Ratcliffe said he felt there was a "change of the tide" since Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson travelled to Iran, as since then a second case against his 37-year-old wife was postponed and then cancelled. | |
"And now suddenly the database is shifting and saying eligible for early release," he said. | |
"She's still in prison but everything is feeling very positive." | |
Mr Johnson was in Iran for talks earlier this month and pressed for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release on humanitarian grounds. | |
He had been accused of risking an additional five years being added to her sentence when he told a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. | |
In November, he apologised in the Commons, retracting "any suggestion she was there in a professional capacity". | |
Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq said the news had given the family a "glimmer of light". | Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq said the news had given the family a "glimmer of light". |
"It has given Nazanin a real boost of positive energy, and now we wait impatiently to see what happens next," she told the BBC. | |
"Although we do not want to celebrate prematurely, it would be the perfect Christmas gift to see Nazanin released and back with her family where she belongs." | |
Mr Ratcliffe said part of him was still hoping his wife would be home in time for Christmas. | |
"Definitely hopeful, we will be singing our carols with great gusto," he said. |