A British couple serving 10-year jail sentences in Iran for “bogus” spying say they feel abandoned by the UK government – and have urged the Prime Minister to “come forward and help us”.
speaking from jail tehranCraig and Lindsay Foreman said they feel “let down, alone and completely disappointed” by the way their situation is being handled.
This 53-year-old man was from East Sussex Jailed last month following his arrest in January 2025 While traveling through Iran during a global trip by motorcycle. They deny the allegations.
The pair are being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, which they say has put them in “a situation of mortal danger” because it is in an active war zone.
In a statement, Mr Foreman said: “We were charged based on false evidence that was fabricated to suit the maximum sentence.
“Our government is fully aware of this information and knows that we are 100% innocent.
“We are proud to be British, but by now we feel let down, alone and completely disappointed by the lack of public safety by those in charge of the government.
“It is very difficult to understand why our innocence has not been publicly stated. We are not spies. The allegations made against us are not true.”
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He said Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper “know we are innocent”.
Mr Foreman said, “Make the information public – you have to come forward clearly, come out of the shadows and help us. Our lives are in constant danger.”
“We are now in a prison in a war zone. We have gone from a challenging situation to a life-threatening situation.
“You have decided not to give us any information about what is happening to us, what to do and where to go if the prison doors open.
“There is a serious lack of commitment to our security.”
A spokesperson for the family said that conditions inside the prison were “rapidly deteriorating” and that basic essentials were “running out” and medical care was “absent”.
It is said that the explosions occurred at such close proximity that “shock waves ran through buildings, windows were blown out and debris fell all around, forcing prisoners to dive for cover”.
Ms Foreman’s son, Joe Bennett, called her detention “slow destruction”.
He said: “My mum is in pieces. She’s gone from always finding positivity to feeling completely lost.
“The feeling that he has been abandoned by his own government is breaking him.
“He is being kept in appalling conditions – sleeping on metal cots without mattresses, in constant pain. Craig is suffering from an untreated dental abscess.
“They have nowhere to turn. It’s not just detention, it’s slow destruction.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has warned all British and British-Iranian citizens not to travel to Iran due to “significant risk of arrest, interrogation or detention”.
In a statement, an FCDO spokesperson said: “The welfare of British nationals detained in Iran is a priority for this government and continues to be during the current situation in the Middle East.
“The sentences of Craig and Lindsay are completely appalling and completely unfair.
“We will continue to pursue this matter with the Iranian regime until we can safely return Craig and Lindsay to the UK and be reunited with their family.
“We will continue to provide consular assistance to the couple and their families.”
