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UN Experts Call for Release of British Couple Serving 10-Year Iran Spying Sentence
UN rapporteurs called for the immediate release of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, who are serving 10-year sentences in Tehran after losing their appeal.
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UN special rapporteurs Dr Alice Edwards and Mai Sato called for the release of Lindsay and Craig Foreman from Iranian detention. The couple, from East Sussex, were detained in January 2025 while traveling through Iran on a round-the-world motorcycle trip. They were sentenced in February to 10 years in prison on spying charges and later lost an appeal.
The Foremans are being held in Tehran's Evin jail. They have been on hunger strike after phone contact with their family was cut off last month. After 30 days without food, the UN experts described their situation as a medical emergency.
Dr Alice Edwards is the UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Mai Sato is the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran. " The couple were not permitted to attend their own appeal hearing, according to Joe Bennett, Lindsay Foreman's son from Folkestone, Kent.
Their case has now been passed to the Supreme Court of Iran. The couple's last consular visit occurred in December. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated it would continue working to ensure the Foremans are returned safely to the UK.
Joe Bennett said: "Deals can be made, sanctions can be discussed, shipping lanes can be reopened, but human beings must not be left behind in prison cells. My mum and Craig are British citizens. They are innocent people caught in a nightmare.
