Nazanin's seven-year-old daughter Gabriella accepts bravery award on mum's behalf

Richard Ratcliffe was also present, after recently ending his hunger strike

Author: Ellis MaddisonPublished 19th Nov 2021

Seven-year-old Gabriella has accepted a bravery award at a London ceremony on behalf of her mum, Nazanin.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held in Iran since 2016 over spying charges that she denies.

Her daughter, Gabriella, accepted the 'Courage under Fire' bravery award for her, and read the words of her mother while she was comforted by her dad Richard Ratcliffe.

Reciting the words of her mum, Gabriella said:

"It makes my heart melt to see my daughter, now big enough, to receive this award, and to read these words.

"One day may we live in a world where we do not need to fight for our freedom."

Richard Ratcliffe, who stood with his daughter while they accepted the award for his wife Nazanin, ended his hunger strike outside the Foreign Office on Saturday.

He spent three weeks in Westminster in a bid to make the Government take more action in getting his wife home.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

"I continue to be horrified by the ordeal she’s been through, I have nothing but admiration for the way which she’s dealt with it.

"It’s been unbearable to witness and I know how much she wants to come home and to see her family.

"I can tell you that we are working as hard as we can to ensure that we deliver that. It is not easy, and if I could tell Nazanin now that we’d have her home for Christmas, I certainly couldn’t.

"It breaks my heart but I cant make that promise, but we will continue to do what we can."

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