British couple held in Iran on spying charges set to appear in court Saturday

By AFP 24 September 2025, 2:47 pm

Edit

A undated handout picture released by the family of Craig and Lindsay Foreman through Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London on February 15, 2025, shows Craig and Lindsay Foreman posing for a selfie photograph at an unknown location. (Photo by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office/AFP)

LONDON — A British couple held in Iran on espionage charges is set to appear in court Saturday for their latest hearing, their family says, as they urge UK government action.

Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52, have been held since January after Iranian authorities seized the pair as they passed through Kerman, in central Iran, while on a round-the-world motorbike trip.

Tehran, which is detaining them in separate prisons in or near the capital, has insisted they are spies.

Their family has rejected the claim and complains they are being kept “completely in the dark” about their case.

Relatives only spoke to the pair for the first time in early August, and have grown increasingly frustrated at the handling of their case in Iran as well as at the support received from the British government in London.

“We need to be taken seriously. Our parents are innocent, they are enduring horrific conditions, and they are suffering repeated violations of their human rights,” their son Joe Bennett says in a statement sent to AFP.

“We are calling on the UK government to act,” he adds, urging support for the couple in their court appearances and Lindsay’s requested transfer to Evin prison, where her husband is being held.

Bennett and other relatives also want London to ensure they receive better medical attention and regular family contact.

“They need real, tangible support, not just words,” he says, noting the family has written to new Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper requesting an urgent meeting.