UK 'in denial' on hostage-taking overseas, warns Zaghari-Ratcliffe

The government is in denial about the extent of hostage-taking by foreign states and has failed to fulfil its promise to appoint a special envoy to combat the problem, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said.

- Patrick Wintour Geneva Abdul

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was kept in an Iranian jail for six years on bogus espionage charges until her release in March 2022, was speaking at a conference dedicated to eradicating the growing international practice of hostage-taking.

“The government has a moral duty of care for each and every citizen who is arbitrarily detained abroad,” she said. “That duty should be fair. Unfortunately, the government’s policy in such cases is discretionary. If you are not made a priority to them you run the risk of being left behind.”

The conference heard widespread disillusionment from hostage families that the UK had still not acted to marshal the resources of government to make the release of British nationals a true diplomatic priority, including by providing systematic advice and sustenance to families of those arbitrarily detained.