Today is Anoosheh Ahoori’s 67^th birthday. It is the fourth birthday he has spent imprisoned in Iran despite being innocent of all charges.

Anoosheh was visiting family in Iran in August 2017, something he had done regularly for many years. On the 13^th August he was abducted by the Iranian authorities and has been detained in Iran ever since. He was initially held in solitary confinement for many weeks and has been serving the remainder of his unjust sentence in an overcrowded cell in the notorious Evin prison, Tehran. The strain of this ordeal and being parted from his loved ones has caused him to try to take his own life three times.

Anoosheh’s wife, Sherry, recently made public an audio recording from a conversation with Anoosheh. He said:

“Will I ever have a chance to embrace my kids again or taste the warmth of my wife’s presence only for one more time, before we are too old to recognise each other when I come out in my mid-70s? And that is if I come out alive and sane.

Will my lovely dog Romeo still be alive? Will he recognise me and will he jump on my lap, and ensconce himself waiting to be pampered by my gentle strokes?”

Anoosheh and other British-Iranian dual nationals are being treated as political pawns by the Iranian authorities. The UK government must do more to ensure this hostage taking does not continue and all detainees are urgently released, able to return home to those they love.

On his last birthday his daughter, Elika, shared this beautiful video to remind us who the man is at the centre of this campaign:

Anoosheh is a husband, a father of two, an innocent man from Lewisham being held in horrendous conditions. Please join Amnesty International in pushing the UK government to fulfil its responsibilities to Anoosheh and his family to bring him home.

You can tweet @BorisJohnson and @DominicRaab and use #FreeAnoosheh

You can help to amplify the voices of Anoosheh and his family by sharing this Sky News article where they spoke exclusively to Dominic Waghorn: https://news.sky.com/story/uk-government-doing-nothing-to-save-british-iranian-man-detained-in-iran-12264702

If you would like to get involved with Amnesty Cardiff’s campaign work you can contact us directly at amnesty.cardiff@btinternet.com