Latest news with #LindsayForeman
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Couple being held in Iran 'outrageous', MP says
The government has been urged to "act decisively" to secure the freedom of a British couple detained in Iran. Craig and Lindsay Foreman, both 52, were on a "once-in-a-lifetime" trip around the world when they were arrested by Iranian authorities in January and later charged with espionage - something the family a meeting of the all-parliamentary group for arbitrary detention and hostage affairs (APPG), the couple's son Joe Bennett told the BBC he wanted the UK government to be "really pressing" Iran for their immediate Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) says it continues to raise the case directly with the Iranian authorities. Mr Bennett said the meeting had reassured the family they had support, but he would still continue to pressure government to "make sure that what can be done is being done immediately".Iran's government has been approached for comment. 'Bargaining chips' Brendan O'Hara, APPG vice chair, told the BBC it was "absolutely outrageous" that Mr and Ms Foreman, who were just on holiday and have "no political connection", had been "taken hostage". The Scottish National Party MP called the couple from East Sussex "innocent victims of a geopolitical power struggle", likening them to "bargaining chips" between states. "The UK government has to act and it has to act decisively", O'Hara said, urging officials to do "everything they possibly can" to secure their freedom. He pointed to the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian national who was held hostage by the Iranian government for six years to pressure the UK to pay a long-standing, multi-million-pound debt. Haydee Dijkstal, a barrister representing the family, told the BBC there were concerns the human rights of the couple were not being fully protected in Iran. She said they had been held in solitary confinement for more than 30 days and did not know what they were being charged with for several months. Mr Bennett said he had not spoken to his parents for more than six months. The FCDO advises against all travel to Iran. "British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention," it says in its Iran travel advice. "Having a British passport or connections to the UK can be reason enough for the Iranian authorities to detain you."
The Independent
09-07-2025
- The Independent
Family feared for British couple detained in Iran after Evin prison bombing
British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman were detained and charged with espionage in Iran earlier this year while on a round-the-world motorcycle trip. The couple were initially held in a 3x3 metre cell in Kerman, southeastern Iran, for at least five months. Their family endured a "month of torment" in June when the couple went missing, fearing they had been transferred to Tehran 's Evin prison, which was bombed by Israel on 23 June. Despite the family's fears, the Iranian foreign ministry said on 8 July that the Foremans were still in Kerman, though the British Foreign Office has not yet had direct contact with them. The family asserts the Foremans are "normal" individuals being held as political prisoners and are urging for their release, while the FCDO continues to provide consular assistance.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- BBC News
Son of couple held in Iran: 'They aren't spies, they're Mum and Dad'
The son of a British couple detained in Iran has said he broke down in tears when he learned of their arrest and has not heard from them in six and Lindsay Foreman were on a "once-in-a-lifetime" motorbike trip around the world when they were arrested in January and later charged with espionage, which the family son Joe Bennett said the Foreign Office must act more urgently to bring them home, adding that he was not "clear" on their strategy to do Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said they were continuing to assist the family and raise the case directly with Iranian authorities. Mr and Mrs Foreman, both 52 from East Sussex, were motorbiking from Spain to Australia when they crossed into Iran on 31 Bennett said he last spoke with his parents on 3 January prior to their arrest, before learning they were being held in late January and charged with spying in February."I didn't know what to do or where to turn," he Bennett said one "generic letter" written by his mother had been shared with friends and family since then, and that updates on their wellbeing had come from three welfare checks by UK embassy officials - the last being in May."That's tough when you're used to hearing someone's voice every day," Mr Bennett said. "She's sleeping on a wafer-thin mattress," he said of his mother, "that causes a lot of upset"."You always go back to how they must be feeling, that's the one thing that gets the family the most."Mr Bennett said his parents were very active people who loved doing Park Run, and were trying to "keep as fit as possible" in their cell."In true fashion they're now running figure of eights in their cell," he said, "which just shows their mental fortitude".He added that the conflict between Iran and Israel which erupted in June was a "terrifying" period, "not knowing if they were okay or safe".The couple were due to be transferred to Tehran's notorious Evin Prison on 8 June, he continued, which was bombed by Israel on 23 June - while the war also saw the UK pull its embassy staff out of the Bennett recalls thinking: "They are now left alone, we haven't got people who can push for their safety and wellbeing." The FCDO currently advises against all travel to Iran, saying that British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at "significant risk" of arrest, questioning or also now states that UK government support is "extremely limited in Iran"."No face-to-face consular assistance will be possible in an emergency and the UK government will not be able to help you if you get into difficulty in Iran," the guidance Bennett said the family did have reservations about their decision to travel to the country and asked, "why would you go there?"But he stressed that the couple did so "by the proper means" - with the right visas, accompanied by licensed tour guides, and staying in hotels and along main roads."They followed every guideline in the book they could… that clearly wasn't enough."Mr Bennett said he believed they were arrested because "they have UK passports and are being used as leverage by the Iranian regime"."I want to be crystal clear, my parents aren't spies, they're not political players, they aren't criminals. They're Mum and Dad."A spokesman for Iran's judiciary said in February that the couple had entered Iran "under the guise of tourists" and "gathered information" in several parts of the said the couple had been under surveillance by intelligence agencies and were arrested as part of a "coordinated intelligence operation".In recent years, Iran has arrested dozens of Iranians with dual nationality or foreign permanent residency, mostly on spying and national security charges. At least 15 have had links to the rights groups say they are often held as leverage, released only when Iran receives something in Bennett said the foreign office had been "supportive in terms of words and comfort, but we're past that now," describing the relationship as "functional".He added that their "quiet diplomacy" approach had been "going on for too long" and that the family was not "clear what the strategy is"."We know where we stand and what we want, it's over to you to make this happen."An FCDO spokesperson said: "We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities, we're providing them with consular assistance and we remain in close contact with the family."
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
British couple detained in Iran vanished for weeks amid fears they were in Israel-bombed prison
The family of a British couple detained in Iran feared they were in one of the country's most notorious prisons when it was bombed by Israel – and are still yet to hear from them weeks later despite assurances from Tehran that they are alive. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, 53 and 52, were arrested and charged with espionage in Iran earlier this year after setting off on a 'dream' round-the-world motorcycle trip in August. The pair were forced to sleep on the floor of a 3x3 metre cell in Kerman, southeastern Iran, for at least five months on a diet of rice and fruit. Their family was told they were set to move to Tehran 's sprawling Evin prison complex, which held thousands of inmates, on 8 June, but it emerged four days later the transfer was delayed due to a paperwork issue. On 13 June, Israel launched a devastating 12-day airstrike campaign against Iran, including an attack on 23 June that destroyed the prison and killed 79 people. The couple were unreachable throughout this period as their family was put through a 'month of torment'. They say the UK Foreign Office did not know where they were. It was only on 8 July that Iranian officials said they were in Kerman. The British Foreign Office has still not reached them. Mrs Foreman's son Joe Bennett, 31, told The Independent: 'The place they had been potentially transferred was being bombed and we didn't know until today [8 July] they were okay. 'They are just a normal mum and dad being held as political prisoners and they need to come home.' On their way to Australia, Mrs Foreman, a life coach with a doctorate in psychology, was carrying out a research project asking people what constituted a 'good life'. On 30 December, Mrs Foreman posted a map of Iran, saying they were about to face 'one of the most challenging — and, let's be honest, slightly scary — sections of our journey: Iran and Pakistan '. The next day, she crossed into Iran from Armenia with her husband Craig, a carpenter, and planned to reach Pakistan by 4 January, despite 'the advice of friends, family and the Foreign Office'. They travelled through the cities of Tabriz, Tehran and Isfahan with a tour guide and visa but never checked into their hotel in Kerman. Mrs Foreman's last social media post on 3 January was a picture of her meeting a 'kind and thoughtful mullah' in Isfahan, central Iran. On 13 February, Iranian state media published a photo of them alongside British ambassador Hugo Shorter announcing they had been charged with espionage. Since then, the couple have been visited three times by British consular officials, most recently on 12 May. At around this time, Mrs Foreman was not walking properly and had a bad back, her son said. He added: 'I cannot imagine what they are going through. The anxiety and hopelessness, being left in the dark. It is hard to think about. 'It cannot go on for years. We need action. They are not spies. It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime but it has turned into a nightmare.' Iran has previously held British citizens for years on vague security charges. In 2022, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released after spending six and five years in Iranian prisons. They were both held in Evin prison, one of the country's most visible symbols of authoritarian rule for over 40 years. Dissidents, foreign journalists, academics and diplomats have all been held there. Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian was held there for nearly a year and a half and claimed guards repeatedly threatened him with execution. A FCDO spokesperson told The Independent: 'We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran. We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities. 'We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.'
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Family of UK couple held in Iran did not know pair's whereabouts for month
The son of a British woman who has been held in Iran since January on espionage charges along with her husband has told the Guardian he lived with the agony of not knowing their whereabouts for a month or in the past fortnight whether they had been killed in the Israeli bombing on Tehran's Evin prison on 23 June that left more than 70 dead. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52, were arrested on 3 January in Kervan City in southern Iran while travelling through the country from Armenia to Pakistan on a motorcycle journey to Australia. The Foreign Office were informed they were due to be taken to Tehran on around 8 June, raising fears they may have been caught in the Tehran attack, but on Tuesday they were informed they were still held in Kervan. Joe Bennett, 31, said: 'Every day not knowing brought a deeper kind of dread. Every night, the same questions with no answers. You go to sleep, afraid. You wake up still afraid. And the silence – the not knowing – is just unbearable. So many of our fears remain. How are they doing? Are they being looked after? How are they coping psychologically? 'Our belief is that Lindsay and Craig will be much safer when people know they're there. Every piece of information we've received points to visibility as their greatest protection, when there are eyes on them, that's when they're safest. It took a lot of soul searching, but this isn't about recklessness; it's about responsibility. We've had to weigh risk and reward carefully, but we're convinced that the best way to safeguard them is to ensure the British public cares and is paying attention. Silence puts them at greater risk. Awareness saves lives.' He added: 'Our biggest message is that we want to work with the UK government on their release, but because there is no noise around my mum and Craig, when Keir Starmer is around the table with the Iranians they are not going to be mentioned. We cannot operate in darkness, and we have to bring their names into the sunlight.' So far British officials have visited the couple in detention three times, but UK diplomats are only now returning to Iran after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. Bennett said he understood his mother and Craig were both suffering from the food and sleeping conditions. He said 'On the first visit Craig had lost a lot of weight and she was in OK spirits. The second visit was very chaotic and short. It lasted only nine minutes and it ended very abruptly. My mum was struggling with sleeping on a wafer-thin mattress. Craig was still thin, but he was mainly concerned about my mum. 'The third visit was more positive; they had been allowed to be together and had access to the prison shop. They were in a room the equivalent of three by three. For any exercise they just did a figure of eight so they could run 5km like that. They get access to a yard for 15 minutes. 'They had a metal bed with a mattress. The feeling last month was that this was moving towards sentencing or trial in that they had been appointed a lawyer, but he did not speak English so it was very very hard to communicate with him. 'We have sent some personal messages to my mum via the Foreign Office. I relayed a message to her that I am looking at the moon at night and that if she looks at the moon as well, we will be sharing that experience and have a connection. It gives me hope and maybe it gives her some hope.' Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who spent six years in an Iranian jail and has advised the family, recalled: 'The cell had tall walls and cold floor. There was no bed but only a thin blanket. I didn't shower for days as I wasn't allowed to leave the cell. The walls were towering and the constant light in the cell was blinding. I was terrified, lost and emotionally traumatised.' Bennett said of Lindsay and Craig: 'They are not tied to any political party, or a government, they are not criminals and they are certainly not spies. They are just two human beings, normal, normal people. It is a mum and a dad, a son and a sister. They love travelling, they love people, they love connection.' Asked if they should have followed UK Foreign Office advice not to travel to Iran, he said: 'They were two people in the wrong place at the wrong time, pawns in something geopolitical. History shows that theirs is not the first case and the only crime is that they are UK nationals. 'It's quite obvious it is hostage-taking for leverage on the UK government, and they do it to other countries, like France. We don't know what the Iranians want. At the end of all of this, there is a deal to be done and it will be the Foreign Office that are the ones that make it. We are just here to make it happen as efficiently as possible. 'It's been tough; whatever you do in life cannot prepare you for this, there is such a sense of powerlessness, and elderly relatives to look after. 'They are pretty strong-headed people. My mum is very much into positive psychology and Craig is very practical. They are together and they have that solace, but we don't know. There may be panic and fear, and that is why it is so important we get their names out there so they know they have not been forgotten.' A spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, Asghar Jahangir, said at the time of the arrest that the couple, married nine years and living recently in Spain, had 'entered Iran under the guise of tourists' and 'gathered information in multiple provinces of the country'.
