A British mother has spoken by telephone from prison in Iran to thank campaigners seeking her release after more than 600 days in custody.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s words were transmitted by loudspeaker to a rally staged as part of a long-running and vocal campaign orchestrated by her family.
The dual British-Iranian national has been held since April 2016 when she was arrested at Tehran airport as she returned from a trip to see her parents with her then 22-month old daughter Gabriella. She has been accused of seeking to overthrow the Tehran regime.
"All that is on my mind is to be back home and to be back with my family,” the 37-year-old told the rally held near her north London home.
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Read more:
Britain’s political class has a ‘blind spot’ when it comes to Iran, warns MP
Iran's bad behaviour can't continue to be rewarded
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Britain’s foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, faced calls for his resignation this month after he said that she was in the country training journalists. He later retracted his comments and apologised.
The comments were seized on by Iranian officials as evidence of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s true reasons for being in Iran, claims denied by both her family and employer, the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Following Mr Johnson's comments, she was returned to court and threatened with a longer prison sentence. Campaigners say she has been used as a pawn in the broader dispute between Iran and the West and political power games within the regime.
The rally took place before a march to the Shia Islamic Centre of England in north-west London, to hand in a "Mothers' Open Letter" asking for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release from the Tehran prison.
"The screw is twisting more and more and her physical and mental health is deteriorating to such a degree now that I think we are in a very urgent situation," said the Oscar-winning actor Emma Thompson, who was on the march.
An online petition calling for her to be returned to Britain has more than 1.3 million signatures.
Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK's director, said: "She's been put through a deeply unfair trial and could be facing a fresh charge, so it's extremely important that the recent political focus on Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case now translates into the Iranian authorities finally releasing her."
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Match info
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Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
