A charity single to support detained Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been released and will feature her husband Richard and seven-year-old daughter Gabriella.

The music ensemble 'The Christians' have created a new version of their song 'Man Don't Cry' to raise money for Redress which is an international human rights organisation working to help victims of torture.

The group has released the new single 'Naz Don't Cry' after they learned of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s case from their fans at a gig a few years ago.

The band had been thinking about what they could do to help the British-Iranian national.

News Shopper: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Credit: PANazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Credit: PA

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in Iran in 2016 when she was trying to fly back to the UK, having taken Gabriella – then not even two years old – to see her family.

The single comes after Nazanin's husband, Richard, recently spent 21 days on hunger strike to bring renewed attention to his wife’s case.

Band members Garry Christian, Joey Ankrah and Neil Griffiths joined forces with the writer Henry Priestman and Richard and Gabriella to produce the track. 

The group recorded the single at Liverpool’s Coastal Sound studios, with Richard and Gabriella providing backing vocals at the end of the track.

News Shopper: Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Iranian detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, with his daughter Gabriella, he is ending his hunger strike in central London after almost three weeks. Credit: PARichard Ratcliffe, the husband of Iranian detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, with his daughter Gabriella, he is ending his hunger strike in central London after almost three weeks. Credit: PA

Mr Christian said: “We talked about how the words from Man Don’t Cry, from our 1991 album Colour, couldn’t be more appropriate in describing the Ratcliffes’ distressing predicament.

“We talked ourselves out of helping as we thought the band’s profile wasn’t big enough to make a difference and the years rolled on.

“But after seeing Richard Ratcliffe recently on his 21-day hunger strike, we couldn’t bear not to do anything and decided to take action and record Naz Don’t Cry, with proceeds going to Redress.”

He added: “As these lyrics say, ‘We only hope she knows that there are people here who care.’

“We want the song to deliver the simple message that we are all still standing shoulder to shoulder with Nazanin, her devoted husband Richard and beautiful daughter Gabriella.

“It’s absolutely desperate that after all these years she still hasn’t been released back to her family. We hope this song helps in some tiny way.”

Naz Don’t Cry is out now on Island Records.