UK Women stage global fast to call on govt to secure freedom of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliff

Women across the globe will be take turns to fast for 24 hours in the latest move to pressurise the UK government to secure freedom for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliff, an Iranian-British dual citizen who has been detained in Iran since April 3, 2016. A female-led volunteer organisation working for women liberation, FiLiA has announced the campaign on Monday which comes after the 21-day hunger strike by the detainee’s husband Richard Ratcliff. The Guardian stated that the campaign will be mounted outside the UK Foreign Office in London until mid-November. 

While calling for entries from women in the world, FiLiA stated that the solidarity action will be launched by the organisation’s CEO Lisa-Marie Taylor along with  Maryam Namazie, a British-Iranian human rights activist on 21 December. The first week participants include Sophie Walker; a Political activist, founding leader of the Women's Equality Party, Pragna Patel; Founder of Southall Black Sisters, Mandy Sanghera, International human rights activist, Vaishnavi Sundar; Filmmaker and activist, Sally Jackson; FiLiA Trustee and activist, Yasmin Rehman; CEO JUNO Women’s Aid. 

Women from India, UK already signed up: Taylor

Photographs of all participants of the fasting relay will be published on the group’s website each day as a message of solidarity. The report by The Guardian stated that FiLiA CEO, Taylor, has said that women from the UK, India, Morocco and Iran have already signed up to take part in the protest. She was quoted by the media outlet as saying, “Richard has made it clear he doesn’t want people to get poorly” and added, “So we thought we’d organise a chain of women to each fast for a day to keep the pressure on the government and show Nazanin how much support she has from women in the UK and globally.”

The action was reportedly inspired by the 89-year-old human rights lawyer, Margeret Owen who also went on a six-day hunger strike just last month to take up the baton from Ratcliff. This was after the dual-citizens husband concluded his protest over health concerns, said Taylor.

Owen, who visited Ratcliff at least four times during his hunger strike, reportedly said, “Each time I sat next to him, I was so impressed but also so worried by the third week with the state of his health. We knew that Nazanin was begging him to stop. So I told him, I’m going to hunger strike for you.”

(IMAGE: AP)