Detained British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been sent back to prison from a mental health hospital, her husband has revealed.
Nazanin – who has been held in Iran since April 2016 – was said to have been “chained to her hospital bed” effectively in solitary confinement.
Her husband Richard said the 40-year-old was given some “initial treatment” for physical and mental conditions, but that her experience was “deeply traumatising”.
In quotes released by her family, Nazanin said: “I am all right, broken, but I survived.
“They did all they could to me – handcuffs, ankle cuffs, in a private room 2x3m, with thick curtains, and the door closed all the time. I wasn’t allowed to leave the room, as I was chained to the bed.
“It was proper torture. It was tough, and I was struggling. But I am
glad I survived. The original order was for 10 days. I managed to survive for
6. I think it was an achievement.”
The details of her treatment were revealed after Nazanin’s Iranian family were allowed to visit her and following phone calls on Sunday and Monday.
She had been transferred to the mental health hospital last week following a 15-day hunger strike.
“In hospital, Nazanin was kept effectively in solitary confinement, chained to her
hospital bed, and under the control of multiple layers of guards,” her husband, Richard, added.
“While the medical treatment started will hopefully be allowed to continue as an outpatient, primarily her lawyer will be pressing the Health Commission to finally rule that Nazanin is not fit to stay in prison and can be granted unconditional release.”
Her husband also did not eat for the period in solidarity with his wife as he camped on the pavement outside the Iranian Embassy in London.
Tulip Siddiq, the couple’s local MP, said: “The government seems to have lost any semblance of control over this case. The foreign secretary may soon be out of his job, his minister of state has today resigned and his other minister – with responsibility for the Middle East – remains suspended.”
Nazanin was arrested at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport while travelling with their young daughter in 2016 and sentenced to five years in prison after being accused of spying, a charge she vehemently denies.