NEWPORT East MP Jessica Morden has co-signed a letter to prime ministerial candidates Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt calling for action to secure the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been detained in Iran since 2016.

The letter, co-ordinated by Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s MP Tulip Siddiq, calls on the incoming prime minister to use the "robust protections" at his disposal, including options available under diplomatic protection, to push for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release.

The letter highlights how the judicial processes in Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case – in both her treatment and those of other individuals unlawfully imprisoned by Iranian authorities – "fall far short of international standards, and Iran’s legal obligations".

Earlier this week,

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband said his wife had been transferred to a hospital mental health ward

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Ms Morden said “I was pleased to sign the letter in support of Nazanin and her family.

"The incoming prime minister has a number of key issues to resolve with Iran, which include its human rights record and the continued detention of dual British-Iranian nationals like Nazanin.

"As the letter rightly states, a prime minister’s first duty is to protect British citizens – including those unfairly held overseas – and Nazanin’s case cannot be forgotten at this key juncture.”