CAMPAIGNERS staged a protest on behalf of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the jailed wife of Farnham man Richard Ratcliffe, outside the Iranian Embassy in London last week.

It came ahead of an expected visit to the UK by Abbas Araghchi, deputy for legal and international affairs in Iran’s Foreign Ministry, to meet UK officials.

Mr Ratcliffe, who has led a high-profile campaign on his wife’s behalf, is seeking a personal meeting with Mr Araghchi to discuss the plight of Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Nazanin, 39, a charity worker with the Thomson Reuters foundation, is serving a five-year jail sentence in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison after being convicted in 2016 on unspecified “national security charges”.

She has suffered a serious decline in her physical and mental health since being jailed.

Amnesty has designated Nazanin a prisoner of conscience and is calling for her immediate release. More than 100,000 people have lent their support to Amnesty’s campaign, many of whom lined the streets outside the embassy holding ‘Free Nazanin’ and ‘Over 100,000 say Free Nazanin’ placards.

Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK’s director, said: “Abbas Araghchi should meet Mr Ratcliffe face-to-face and explain why it is that his wife is behind bars after an unfair trial.

“We’ve said over and over again that Nazanin shouldn’t be in jail at all, never mind for five years.

“Nazanin should be freed at the earliest possible opportunity and she should be allowed to return to Britain with her young daughter on the first available flight.