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.

Herts Advertiser: Oliver Dowden at the White House debate on Iran.Oliver Dowden at the White House debate on Iran. (Image: Archant)

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.”