British couple jailed in Iran on espionage charges lose appeal
A British couple jailed on spying charges in Iran have lost an appeal against their convictions, their family has said.Craig and Lindsay Foreman were handed a 10-year prison sentence in February after being convicted of espionage, which they both deny.The pair’s family have claimed they were not permitted to attend their appeal hearing.They were jailed following their arrest in January 2025 while travelling through Iran during an around-the-world trip by motorcycle.Ms Foreman’s son Joe Bennett said that “the dial needs to shift” as he explained that the pair “don’t understand the process.”He said: “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," Bennett added.“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 said that Craig Foreman is on day 25 of his hunger strike and Lindsay Foreman is on day 16 of hers, adding that all communication between them has been cut off by Iranian authorities.Joe Bennett said he met with officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Monday but left without “clarity on what pressure is being applied to Tehran.”He continued: “Their appeal has failed and they don’t know why."“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,” Bennett asserted.The FCDO warns all British and British-Iranian nationals not to travel to Iran because of a “significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention”.The Government previously described the couple’s 10-year sentences as “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable.”The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been approached for comment.
