Back in November, there was not a dry eye in the house when Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her husband Richard Ratcliffe spoke to Scottish Lib Dem Conference.
From our piece at the time:
One of the most moving sessions was an interview, hosted by Christine Jardine, with Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe and Richard Ratcliffe. Christine said she still has the blue flower Richard gave her when she went to visit him outside the Iranian Embassy when he was on hunger strike during Nazanin’s six year imprisonment in Iran.
Nazanin and Richard want British citizens to have a right to consular protection after the Foreign Office was so slow to help her. At the moment, the commitment is dependent on ministerial whim, and, if ministers are reshuffled, you have to build the relationship up all over again.
Next week, Parliament will debate a Bill tabled by Lib Dem MP Christine designed to give British citizens abroad a right to consular assistance when their human rights are under threat.
Yesterday’s Sunday Post had a feature on the Bill. Christine told the paper:
We assume that if something happens, someone will speak to the Foreign Office and you’re guaranteed assistance – but you’re not.
I think it’s something most of us would take for granted that we already have.
After Richard and I spoke about it, I thought about the number of cases where people have found themselves in that situation over the years.
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