Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian former charity worker held in Iran for over five years, has shared insights into how she coped during her detention in Tehran’s Evin prison. Speaking at the Big Brue festival in Somerset, England, Zaghari-Ratcliffe recounted the unconventional ways she and fellow inmates found comfort amid harsh conditions.
Detained in 2016 on charges of spying, which she has consistently denied, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released in March 2022 after the UK government settled a longstanding debt with Iran dating back to a military deal with the former Shah. Her case was widely viewed as politically motivated, with evidence supporting the claim that she was used as leverage to secure British payment.
During her imprisonment, Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she smuggled contraband items into her cell, including USB sticks containing episodes of popular American television series such as “Orange is the New Black,” “Breaking Bad,” and “Prison Break.” She referred to the prison drama as strikingly resonant: “Orange is the New Black is a whole different kind of genre of somebody who’s in prison.” The shows, she explained, helped maintain a connection to life beyond the prison walls.
In addition to watching TV shows, Zaghari-Ratcliffe described how she and other prisoners engaged in activities like dancing to smuggled Zumba videos and baking pizza. She managed to acquire an oven within the facility, earning the nickname “queen of the pizza dough” among inmates. These efforts served as a creative outlet and a means of sustaining morale.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe also gained permission to use a sewing machine, which she used to create clothing for her daughter and other prisoners. This hobby not only helped pass the time but also inspired a collaboration with London’s Imperial War Museum and the fabric department of Liberty, resulting in fabric prints that reflect her experience as a prisoner.
Among the contraband she smuggled was a Swiss Army knife, which she acknowledged as particularly risky. She placed the knife in her shoe but found it difficult to walk. “Having a knife in prison is a real crime,” she noted, but expressed that as a political detainee, she felt she had little to lose. “They don’t care what I do. I’m just a political hostage.”
Since her release, Zaghari-Ratcliffe continues to deal with the psychological impact of her incarceration and currently visits a therapist. She has maintained sewing as a form of solace. Citing recent unrest in Iran and an internet blackout, she described how sewing provided a sense of control amid uncertainty. “When the military attack on Iran happened at the end of February, for five days, I didn’t do anything. The only thing that I could do was sit at my sewing machine and sew,” she said. Sewing remains her refuge in moments of distress, offering a means of stability in a world she cannot fully control.