A British couple detained in Iran since January 2025 have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage, their family announced on Thursday after a court ruling that has prompted condemnation from the UK government, which is demanding their immediate release.
As reported by the BBC, Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both in their 50s, received a 10-year sentence on espionage charges after they were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran as part of a round-the-world motorbike trip, although the couple have consistently denied accusations of espionage by Iranian authorities.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called the verdict “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable”. Although the couple – who have denied all charges – have made no statement following the verdict, their son has described the decision as “gut-wrenching“.
The Foremans were heading to Australia on what was to be the trip of their lifetime and had entered Iran from Armenia on 30 December 2024, with plans to arrive in Pakistan on 4 January 2024. However, on 3 January they were arrested despite having Iranian visas, a guide and an approved itinerary. Since then, they have been held in separate wings of Evin Prison, a facility that houses thousands of prisoners – including journalists and political prisoners – and has been criticised for its inhumane conditions and for allegedly torturing inmates.
No evidence against them
In a telephone interview from Evin prison in Tehran, Lindsay Foreman described what she has experienced as “an endurance test for the mind”, saying that the confinement has taken its toll on her physical condition even though she has tried to stay active inside the Iranian prison, with activities such as running “in circles” in the cramped prison yard. “I’ve resigned myself to the fact that my physical health might not be what it was when I came in,” she said.
Lindsay’s son, Joe Bennett, claimed that the Iranian authorities have never shown a single shred of proof or evidence that they were spies, and urged the British government to “act decisively and use every available avenue” to bring them back. Bennett insists that the couple’s lawyer in Iran have made it clear that there is no legal basis for the allegations against them; however, all bail applications have been ignored and during a hearing in October they were not allowed to defend themselves.
News of the sentence comes amid growing tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme and as US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran and mobilised the largest air force in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Washington and Tehran are holding nuclear negotiations, but with the outcome of the talks looking uncertain and little progress being made, Trump has insisted that he is not ruling out military action, especially after the regime’s brutal crackdown on recent mass protests against the government.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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