British couple held in Iran for 400 days are ‘starving and suffering medical neglect’ son warns
The son of a British couple who was detained in Iran for more than 400 days has called on the government to take action, telling MPs his parents were subjected to inhumane conditions, starvation and psychological torture.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman were arrested last January while traveling in Iran and subsequently charged with espionage, which they deny. They are currently being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
Ms Foreman’s son, Joe Bennett, met MPs on Wednesday to tell how his parents had faced death threats, witnessed regular knife fights and were visibly malnourished in prison and suffered from chronic medical neglect.
“My mother and Craig have been subjected to a truly shocking series of human rights violations since their arrest on January 3, 2025, more than 400 days ago,” he said in a statement.
“We cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized. We cannot sit by and watch and wait while these terrible atrocities escalate.”
Mr Bennett, from Folkestone in Kent, said his parents were forced to sleep on concrete floors or in metal bunk beds without mattresses, living in overcrowded, unsanitary and vermin-infested conditions.
Campaigners said they were locked out of their homes for 213 days and were subjected to 57 days of solitary confinement and interrogation. The Foremans have had some contact with their families since the hunger strike in November.
Mr Bennett said Independent In January, he said his parents were forced into “overcrowded” cells following Iran’s brutal crackdown on nationwide protests.
Campaigners said they were now regularly threatened as UK citizens, amid rising violence and anti-UK propaganda.
Craig is said to be suffering from an untreated toothache and both are said to be suffering from chronic medical neglect.
Mr. Bennett, who collected more than 60,000 signatures. petition He said in an online statement: “Our family and parents live and relive these horrors every day, but our Government’s response is to wait, wait for quiet diplomacy, wait for an unfair judicial process to begin, wait, wait and wait.
“Lessons from the past show that the failure of the UK Government to act proactively on arbitrary detention has historically led to several years of horrific detention of hostages before the release of UK citizens compared to their French, Belgian, German or US counterparts.
“We need to learn from history and not allow this situation to escalate without intervention.”
Mr Bennett called on parliamentarians from all parties to demand that the UK Government formally declare the detention of Lindsay and Craig Foreman as Arbitrary Detention, in order to make the issue a diplomatic priority and apply pressure to create a plan for their immediate release.
Mr Bennett’s MP Tony Vaughan KC invited Mr Bennett on Wednesday to discuss his family’s ordeal, saying: “The ordeal Joe’s parents have endured for more than 400 days is truly appalling. “They are living in conditions no one should ever have to face.
“Today I join Joe in calling on the UK Government to officially recognize that the detention of these men is arbitrary. The FCDO must escalate the case as a diplomatic priority and prepare a strategic plan to bring them home. Waiting and seeing is no longer a strategy.”
