Hertsmere MP Oliver Dowden is continuing his efforts to get the 77-year-old father of one of his constituents freed from an Iranian prison.
Kamal Foroughi, whose son Kamran Foroughi lives in Radlett, has been held for more than six years in Evin Prison in Tehran, after being arrested without a warrant for espionage. His son and Amnesty International have been campaigning for his release.
During a debate on Iran in Parliament, following a question to the Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood, Mr Dowden said: “I was pleased to hear from the minister that securing his release remains a high priority for the Government in our discussions in Iran.
“I meet regularly with Mr Foroughi’s family hear at home in the UK and I know the incredible pressure that his detention has placed on all of them.”
Mr Dowden and Kamran Foroughi recently delivered a letter to the Foreign Secretary, signed by more than 250 MPs and peers, seeking his father’s release.
Mr Dowden said: “Showing clemency to a 77-year-old grandfather who has completed his original sentence would be a real way for Iran to show that it truly wishes to engage productively with the international community.”
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