Ashouri accuses British Prime Minister of “ignoring him” while imprisoned in Iran

British-Iranian engineer Anousheh Ashouri, who spent five years in Iran’s notorious Evin prison, has accused British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of ignoring him for years. Ashouri said Johnson asked to see him after his recent release, but that Ashoury was “not sure” whether he would accept the invitation, describing Johnson as an “opportunist.” Ashouri revealed that Johnson did not respond to any pleas from his family during his years of detention in Iran.

The 67-year-old British-Iranian was held for five years in Iran and then returned to the UK earlier this month, along with British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. In an interview with Sky News, Ashouri said he was disappointed with the British leader, but praised the “fantastic work” done by civil servants behind the scenes. He added that Johnson did not respond to his family’s requests for help from the British government, and did not respond to a direct petition from Ashouri himself.

And the British-Iranian managed to record an audio message while he was inside the Iranian prison asking for Johnson’s help, saying: “I risked my safety but I managed to pass this message on to Boris Johnson. Unfortunately, Johnson didn’t even spend five minutes making a phone call to my family.” And when, last Monday, Ashouri received an invitation to meet the British prime minister, he told “Sky News”: “Now he is eager to see me… How do you explain that?” I think there is a bit of opportunism in his behavior.” When asked if he would meet the prime minister, Ashouri said: “I’m not sure.” Ashouri praised the civil servants working behind the scenes, and named Stephanie al-Qaq, director of the Middle East and North Africa department at the British Foreign Office, and Simon Shercliff, the British ambassador to Iran, saying: “They have done an amazing job, and that is the leadership we question.”

Ashouri and Zaghari-Ratcliffe were released after the UK repaid Iran a £400m debt that dates back 40 years. On the other hand, Zaghari-Ratcliffe faced criticism for her earlier comment that the British government had delayed releasing her from an Iranian prison. Ashouri explained that he agreed “100 percent” with Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s statement, saying: “The amount that London paid was not a ransom, but a debt owed by the British government, which it had to pay sooner or later. And if it had been paid earlier, all this would not have happened to us.”

Ashouri’s family had received nearly 48 hours’ notice of his return from Iran, but they would first have to pay a £27,000 fine for his release. The British Foreign Office did not provide any assistance to the family in this regard, and the family was forced to borrow the amount from credit cards to obtain the money in time.

His daughter, Ilica, also created a crowdfunding tool through donations to find a way to start paying the required amount from Tehran. More than £38,000 has been raised, which Ashouri described as the “people’s generosity, support and absolute kindness”. The family will use some of the additional money to help campaign for the release of those who remain in Evin prison, including Morad Tahbaz, a British-American citizen of Iranian descent whom Ashouri knows personally.

Ashouri said he feels a responsibility to do so after witnessing prison conditions – with bed bugs, the smell of open sewers and dental care from a dentist known for “pulling out ten teeth in ten minutes.” He added that he made several suicide attempts while in detention, cutting his wrists at one point, and also tried to starve himself to death, losing 17 kilograms of weight in just 17 days. He said, “I stopped eating completely, and I did not drink water for four days, and after a while you do not feel pain. And that was the logic I express to myself.”

For his part, a British government spokesman said: “The British government, starting with and without the prime minister, has committed itself to ensuring the release of Anousheh Ashouri. But the matter was always entirely in Iran’s hands, while British ministers and diplomats worked tirelessly to secure his freedom, and were now glad he was back home. Our consular team has been in close and regular contact with the Anousheh family, and our officials were available to family members at any time throughout the ordeal.”