Richard Ratcliffe draws parallels between his wife's detention and UK prisoners' plight

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband has spoken out in support of the thousands of prisoners who are being detained indefinitely in the UK and says there is a "commonality" with his family's experience. Richard Ratcliffe campaigned tirelessly when his wife was detained in Iran in 2016 after being accused of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government. She denied the charges but was not released until 2022.

During her six-year incarceration, his campaigning methods included camping outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and going on hunger strike. And he says there was a "groundswell of support" because Iran were seen as the "bad guys" and warned that the families taking on the British Government will face a "lonely journey". He was speaking last night in Parliament at a meeting of the families of just a handful of the approximately 2,000 prisoners in the UK who are still serving an Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection (IPP), despite it being abolished in 2012.

They include cases of people given three to four-year minimum tariffs for thefts of laptops and mobile phones but are still in prison decades later, because their sentences included the indefinite aspect of the IPP.

Mr Ratcliffe said: "Obviously, our family has some experience with arbitrary detention, but also open-ended imprisonment. And obviously, the difference we found was that there was this sort of groundswell of support and care, and it was easier when Iran is holding somebody, as they were seen as the bad guys.

"This is a profound issue. We recognise the commonality. We recognise the suffering that's imposed on all families, and the strain on them. And partly just being here is to say that we're with you along the way, and there are parallels.

"Lots of things have to be done in different ways. Our journey was a long one, and it felt like it was a very lonely one. Every family here will have experience of being alone."

The IPP sentence was created by the then Home Secretary David Blunkett in 2003. They were an indeterminate sentence that courts could impose between 2005 and 2012. Under the terms of the sentence, an offender had to serve a minimum period in custody set by the court, known as a "tariff" before they would be eligible for parole.

Once the offender served their tariff, they would remain in custody until the Parole Board decided they were no longer a risk to the public.

It is known as a 99-year sentence because offenders can be on licence for up to 99 years upon release.

The abolition came after the European Convention on Human Rights declared the use of the sentences "arbitrary and therefore unlawful".

But the sentences were not banned retrospectively so thousands of prisoners are still detained indefinitely, not knowing when they will be released.

Their families are campaigning for the IPP to be removed entirely and for their loved ones to be resentenced.

Also speaking at the meeting, Lord Anthony Woodley, who has introduced a Bill to resentence IPP prisoners, said: "At least 98 individuals have taken their lives as a consequence of what they've gone through [on IPP sentences].

"It's absolutely unbelievable and it's even more unbelievable that governments, whilst having changed the law so many years ago, have not sought to [fully abolish] this sentence.

"It's unbelievable that this is British justice in our country and in society."

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "It is right that IPP sentences were abolished, but public safety must come first.

"Every IPP prisoner is entitled to a parole review at least every two years - and no one is kept in prison unless the independent Parole Board judges they still pose a serious risk."