A British couple, Lindsay and Craig Foreman, have been sentenced to 10 years in jail for espionage in Iran, their family announced on Thursday, according to the AFP news agency.
The couple, both in their 50s, were arrested while traveling through the country on an around-the-world motorcycle journey. Their family said they have consistently denied Tehran’s allegations of espionage.
The Foremans are the latest Westerners detained by Iran, which has been accused of using "hostage diplomacy" to extract concessions from its adversaries in Europe and the United States. The sentencing followed a brief court appearance in October, which lasted only three hours and during which the couple was not allowed to present any defense. "They have consistently denied the allegations. We have seen no evidence to support the charge of espionage," their son, Joe Bennett, said in a statement.
Bennett expressed shock upon hearing the news, describing his emotions as a mix of sorrow, frustration, anger, and disbelief. "It was overwhelming," he told AFP.
The UK government condemned the sentences, with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper calling them "completely appalling and totally unjustifiable." Cooper promised to pursue the case relentlessly until the couple is safely returned to the UK and reunited with their family. "In the meantime, their welfare is our priority and we will continue to provide consular assistance," Cooper said.
The couple was first detained in Kerman, central Iran. Iranian officials have accused the Foremans of entering the country "posing as tourists" and gathering intelligence before their arrest.
Lindsay Foreman is currently held in the women’s section of Evin Prison in Tehran, while Craig is in the political wing of the prison, which has long been criticized for its harsh conditions.
The Foreman family has been receiving advice from previous detainees and their families, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was released from detention in 2022 after six years, following a dispute between London and Tehran over a decades-old debt.