Sentenced on espionage charges
A British couple who were arrested while passing through Iran on a round-the-world motorcycle trip have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage and jailed, their family have said.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman were detained by Iranian authorities in January 2025, and were later charged with spying, which the couple denies.
The Foremans are detained separately in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, which has been used by the Iranian government to hold political prisoners.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called the sentence “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable”, while Linday’s son Joe Bennett said his family “are deeply concerned about their welfare”.
Bennett said that no evidence of spying has ever been presented by the Iranian authorities and called on the British government to “act decisively and use every available avenue” to bring them home.
The Foremans previously appeared in a three-hour long court hearing in Tehran in October and were not allowed to make a defence.
The family say a judge delivered the sentence at the Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
“Dire” prison conditions
The Sussex couple, who are both in their 50s, had endured 13 months in “dire” conditions, Bennett has previously said – adding that they were surrounded by “dirt, vermin, and violence”, and losing weight.
The Foremans are detained in separate wings of Evin prison, which has long drawn criticism for alleged torture and inhumane conditions. It reportedly holds thousands of inmates, including journalists and political prisoners.
Bennett has said the couple’s lawyers in Iran made it clear there was no legal basis for a case against them, but that their bail applications had been ignored.
Bennett has said that his mother and stepfather’s plight left him “sick with worry” and that he has repeatedly pressed the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to help them.
He has said that his family felt “abandoned” by the government, and that letters he sent to the prime minister and foreign secretary have gone unanswered.
UK response and wider context
Responding to the sentence, Cooper said: “We will pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian government until we see Craig and Lindsay Foreman safely returned to the UK and reunited with their family.
“In the meantime, their welfare is our priority and we will continue to provide consular assistance to them and their families.”
The Foreign Office has long advised against all travel to Iran, warning British and British-Iranian dual citizens that having a British passport or any connection to the UK can lead to detention.
Iran has arrested dozens of Iranians with dual nationality or foreign permanent residency in recent years, mostly on spying and national security charges. At least 15 have had links to the UK.
Human rights groups say they are often held for leverage and released only when Iran gets something in return.
British-Iranian citizens Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released in 2022 and allowed to leave Iran after the UK settled a long-standing £650m debt owed to Iran.
French citizens Cécile Kohler, Jacques Paris and Olivier Grondeau, and German national Nahid Taghavi, were all released from Iranian jails following sustained pressure by their respective governments, their families said.
The BBC was previously told that the couple may be being used as bargaining chips between Iran and its Western opponents, and that it was hoped a deal could be brokered as Trump attempts to improve relations with Iran.
On Tuesday, Iran said it had found “grounding principles” with the US to resolve disputes over its nuclear programme.
The meeting took place after the US made repeated military threats over Iran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
Activists say that at least 6,000 people were killed in the demonstrations against the government and high living costs. Thousands more deaths are being investigated.
Source: BBC
Also read: Trump warns on Iran while troop deployment continues
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