A British couple sentenced to 10 years in an Iran jail on spying charges have lost their appeal against their convictions.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman were jailed in February after they were convicted of espionage, a charge they both deny. The couple’s family have said they were not permitted to attend the appeal hearing.
They were originally jailed following their arrest in January 2025 as they travelled through Iran during an around-the-world trip by motorcycle. Ms Foreman’s son Joe Bennett said “the dial needs to shift” as he explained the pair “don’t understand the process.”
He added: “My mum Lindsay and step-dad Craig were not permitted to attend their own appeal hearing. We don’t know if they received a proper account of what was argued on their behalf.
View 3 ImagesThe couple were detained in Iran last year (Image: PA)
“We know they had been asked to sign documents… documents they could not read, and they refused, but we don’t know the details of when, or what they were. Their case has now passed to the Supreme Court, but we don’t understand the process, the timeline, or what, if anything, will be submitted in their name.”
The pair’s family, from East Sussex, said Mr Foreman is on day 25 of his hunger strike and Mrs Foreman is on day 16 of hers, adding that communication between them has been cut off by Iranian authorities, reports the Associated Press.
View 3 ImagesThe pair are now on hunger strike (Image: PA)
Mr Bennett said he met with Foreign Office officials on Monday but that he was left without “clarity on what pressure is being applied to Tehran. He continued: “Their appeal has failed and they don’t know why.
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“They are on hunger strike because they have run out of ways to make their own government act. The FCDO met with us yesterday and were very kind. But kind is not the same as doing something to enable their release.
“The dial needs to shift, and it needs to shift now.”
The Foreign Office has warned all British and British-Iranian nationals not to travel to Iran due to “significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention.” The Government previously described the couple’s sentence as “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable.”