Son of British couple detained in Iran criticises ‘passive’ UK government
The son of a British couple detained in Iran on espionage charges has accused the British government of not doing enough to secure their release.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman were arrested and imprisoned in Kerman while on a global motorcycle tour in January.
The couple from East Sussex have denied spying allegations.
Speaking to Sky News, their son Joe Bennett said there were many similarities with the case of British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after she was imprisoned by the regime between 2016 and 2022.
“They’re being very passive themselves,” he said of the UK government.
“There are two British citizens accused of spying on behalf of the British state, but they do not come out and defend them or make a call. [it out] for what it is.
“You need to stand with your citizens and shout this out.”
He denied Iranian accusations that his mother and partner were involved in espionage activities and accused the regime of “taking hostages”.
“If they’re charged with theft, that’s probably understandable, let’s look at the civil court, if they’ve been caught for a crime, let’s look into that,” he said.
“They didn’t, and they were accused of espionage, which are political charges at the state level, right?
“They’re not spies, that’s pretty simple.”
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband Richard also supports Mr Bennett’s case.
“I feel like I hear a lot of echoes of our experiences in the experiences of Joe’s family and others,” he told Sky News.
In October, Mr Bennett said he had spoken to his mother for the second time since his detention after being granted a 20-minute phone call from prison.
“There was very little my mother could say. She said she was in a bad mood. She said the court appearance last week didn’t go well.
“We were told to expect a verdict rather than another hearing. I don’t know exactly what that meant, but I could sense he was losing hope,” he said.
The couple were separated in August and moved to different prisons in Tehran, before reuniting in October at the notorious Evin prison, where Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was also held.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are deeply concerned by reports that Craig and Lindsay Foreman have been charged with espionage in Iran. We continue to discuss this case directly with Iranian authorities.”
“FCDO provides them with consular assistance and remains in close contact with family members.”
