A British couple detained for months in Iran have been transferred to separate prisons, raising further concerns for their well-being and hopes for their release, their family have told The National.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, from East Sussex, were detained on spying charges in the western city of Kerman in early January while motorcycling through Iran on a holiday.
Yesterday, Lindsay's son Joe Bennett learnt the couple have been split up and moved to separate prisons in Tehran, which he described as among the country’s worst for sanitation and human rights record.
His mother is now in Qarchak, a women's jail, while Craig is being held in Fashofayeh, also known as Borzog Prison. Evin Prison, the capital’s most infamous jail for political prisoners, was evacuated after it was struck by Israeli missiles in June.
The couple were first held in solitary confinement, then separated, and more recently held together in the same cell, said Mr Bennett, who relies on information from the UK consulate.
Mr Bennett has had no contact with his mother and her husband since they disappeared on January 2. “This is no longer just a diplomatic issue, it's a humanitarian emergency,” he said. "The government must act now before it’s too late."
He has called on the UK government to issue a public statement “rejecting the espionage charges” and recognising the Foremans as “hostages, not criminals”. He also expressed the need for “essential humanitarian support” to be provided, such as clean water and medical treatment.
Speaking to The National, Mr Bennett said he feared UK diplomats were not able to obtain reliable information about his parents from the Iranian authorities.
Promises of phone calls have been dropped a number of times, there have been no consular visits since May and there is no clarity on when a trial might take place. “Every week they tell us to expect a call," he said. "Every week, nothing happens. Our faith in these promises has been shattered.
“We weren't under the impression that they were being moved [to Tehran], and then we were told they were moved. So, everything is a little bit reactive at the moment.
“One possibility is that this is potentially going to trial, or they move what they see as political interests to the capital,” he added. “We haven't got a definitive answer. It's hard to know the outcome of something you've got no control over."
Lindsay is a life coach with a doctorate in psychology and Craig is a carpenter. They moved to Spain in 2019 and their motorcycling trip was part of a research project, asking people around the world what happiness means to them.
“My mum is just unbelievable at human connection," Mr Bennett said. "She leaves a lasting impression wherever she goes and just fills up the room. She's got so much energy, she's happy most time, but she's also comfortable displaying other forms of emotions,” he said.
“She's just brilliant. I love her so much."
Craig, he added, was caring and supportive. “I could not have asked for a better bloke to be at her side. He is so supportive. He grounds her,” Mr Bennett said.
It comes as the UK is in talks with Iran to curb its nuclear programme, weeks after an Israeli and US military campaign attempted to dismantle it through air strikes on key atomic bases.
UK negotiators met Iranian officials in Istanbul last week, as part of talks with French and German counterparts to pressure Tehran to co-operate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium.
The Foreign Office would not comment on whether the plight of the detainees was raised in the negotiations, despite calls to do so from British MPs.
A representative for the Foreign Office said they were providing consular assistance to the detained couple and were in "close contact" with the family members.
“We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran. We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities.
The Foreign Office has long advised against travel to Iran for British and British-Iranian citizens, who are at significant risk of detention.
The Iranian authorities accuse the Foremans of espionage, which Mr Bennett and the Foreign Office deny. “They are both innocent and being held without justification,” Mr Bennett said.
The couple would have arrived in Kerman at a time when Iranian authorities were likely to have been on edge.
Annual commemorations are held there on January 3 for Maj Gen Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Al Quds force who was assassinated by the US in 2020. Last year, the procession was struck by two bombs in an attack claimed by ISIS that killed at least 95 people.
“We cannot, and will not, remain silent while our loved ones are left to disappear into the shadows of bureaucracy and apathy,” Mr Bennett added.
The Foreign Office usually warns against seeking publicity for hostages, for fear of aggravating the situation. But the families of detainees then grow frustrated at the lack of progress and begin to speak out.
Mr Bennett said his concern began after the Foreign Office told him not to speak to former detainees, many of whom have formed advocacy groups in the UK after being released.
“I thought that was so odd, because that’s the kind of support groups you need," he said. "People who’ve had real life experience of what is happening to us as a family ... why would you not want to offer that kind of support to the family that could that really help ease our minds?"
His aim now is to ensure the UK government does all it can to secure his parents’ release. “I'm not here to slag off the government at all. My focus is to hold them accountable, to make sure that they're doing everything they can,” he said.
