Vigil held in Leamington as part of ongoing campaign to free British detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from prison in Iran

Members of two human rights organisations have held a vigil in Leamington as part of the ongoing campaign to free British detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from prison in Iran.

Warwick District United Nations Association and Mid-Warwickshire Amnesty Group held the vigil outside Leamington town hall last week on what was the 2,000th day of Nazanin's imprisonment.

Richard Ratcliffe, Nazanin's husband, sent a powerful message thanking the people of Warwick, Leamington, Kenilworth and Southam for their continued support for the campaign.

Nazanin has family in the local area and Liberal Democrat representative Richard Dickson has spoken in support of them and Nazanin over the years.

Warwick and Leamington MP, Matt Western, attended to address the crowds and to provide assurance that he will continue to do his utmost to press the Foreign Office to bring Nazanin home so that she can join her husband and 7-year-old daughter, Gabriella.

Mr Western later posted on his Facebook page saying: "Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been imprisoned by Iranian authorities for more than 2,000 days.

"That’s nearly six years away from her loving husband and child.

"It was great to show solidarity in Leamington as we try and push the Government to reopen negotiations and throw everything at trying to secure her safe return.

"Let us not forget that after a week of diplomatic disaster from the Prime Minister – it was while he was Foreign Secretary that his ill-fated comments about Nazanin training journalists in Iran led to her imprisonment being extended.

Although he can never make amends, the least he and Liz Truss can do is immediately lobby Iran to sanction her return to the UK.

Nazanin, a charity worker has now spent 2,000 days detained in Iran on charges she denies.

The 42-year-old, who had been living with her husband, Richard, and their daughter, Gabriella, in Hampstead, London, was originally arrested and jailed over spying allegations when she was on holiday in 2016.

Having already served the initial five-year sentence, Nazanin was later given an extended one-year term after being accused of partaking in a protest outside Iran’s Embassy in London (2009) and speaking on the BBC Persian Service.

More than 3.5 million people have signed an online petition calling for Nazanin's immediate release.

Richard Ratcliffe believes his wife was jailed as leverage because Iran believed the UK owed Iran money for undelivered tanks in 1979.