Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband has offered his support to a British-Iranian hunger striker who is calling on the UK government to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror organisation.
Richard Ratcliffe said the mere sight of Vahid Beheshti camping out on the pavement opposite the Foreign Office brought back vivid memories of his own experience in November 2021, when he refused food for 21 days in protest against what he saw as the government’s lack of action to secure the release of his wife, jailed in Iran.
Mr Ratcliffe has visited Mr Beheshti several times during his protest. Speaking to The National, Mr Ratcliffe said he had shared his own wisdom with Mr Beheshti, who is now on the 30th day of his hunger strike.
“I was saying to Vahid, this is a marathon,” he said. “It’s about sending a message [to the government] that ‘I am on your doorstep, what you’re doing is not good enough.’
“He is trying to get them to reconsider what they are doing.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government has for months faced pressure from MPs and British Iranians to place the IRGC in the same category as Al Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah.
While ministers have announced several rounds of sanctions against Iran, they have stopped short of recognising the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.
Mr Beheshti has argued that sanctions are not enough to deter the IRGC from its malign activities both at home and abroad.
The activist, 46, said he has lost more than 10 kilograms but insisted he remains committed to his campaign.
“Physically, I am getting weaker but internally, as the days go by, I am getting stronger and stronger,” he told The National. “I am very determined.”
‘Is this the hill I want to die on?’
Mr Ratcliffe spent six years campaigning for the release of his wife from Iran after she was detained at Tehran airport in 2016 following a visit to see family.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released in March 2021 after the UK agreed to pay a £400 million debt to Tehran.
Though he expressed his support to Mr Beheshti, Mr Ratcliffe said he had told him that he may not get his preferred outcome from his hunger strike — a difficult lesson he learnt through his own experiences.
In 2021, he had four demands for then-prime minister Boris Johnson, which included settling the historic debt. On day 21, having achieved none of his demands, Mr Ratcliffe ended his strike.
Mr Ratcliffe said he had stressed to Mr Beheshti the UK government’s desire not to be seen to be bowing to hunger strikers’ demands.
“Otherwise you’d have people out here hunger striking for five different campaigns,” he added.
Pointing to Mr Beheshti’s tent surrounded by bouquets of flowers from well-wishers, Mr Ratcliffe said: “That’s exactly where I was. On this very spot, I was on hunger strike for 21 days, which sounds like an eternity.
“It was cold, wet and miserable.
“I was surrounded by these very imposing government buildings.
“I felt really small and vulnerable. I remember being here just trying to get the government’s attention.
“I got weaker and asked myself, ‘Is this the hill I want to die on? Do I want to go out in an ambulance or not go out at all?’
“My aim was to get the government to move on Naz’s case. I am not sure at the time whether I knew it would achieve anything.”
Mr Ratcliffe said he was encouraged to see British Iranians rallying around Mr Beheshti at his encampment. He added that it was heartwarming to see that “there’s a wider community galvanising around him”.
Over the past four weeks, members of the public have dropped by with flowers, candles, artwork and — perhaps most importantly — words of encouragement and support.
Touching on the growing calls for Mr Sunak’s government to designate the IRGC as a terror entity, Mr Ratcliffe said “it looked like they were about to proscribe and then they didn’t”.
“I fully support that there should be accountability for the Revolutionary Guard’s crimes including sanctions,” he added.
On Friday, day 30 of his hunger strike, Mr Beheshti wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister, pleading with him to meet him to discuss his demand.
He said the “failure” of past British governments to “stand up to the Iranian regime's oppression in Iran and abroad has reached a critical level”.
'Nope'
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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