The son of a British woman detained alongside her husband in Iran has called on the UK Government to ‘come out and defend them’ as they prepare to spend Christmas inside Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman were taken into custody in January during a motorcycle tour around the world and were later charged with espionage.
The couple, of East Sussex, deny the allegations.
Mrs Foreman’s son, Joe Bennett, told Sky News his family is being supported by the Foreign Office and has met Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, but feels ‘frustrated’ by the Government’s handling of the incident.
He said: ‘There is this policy, it seems, to sit and wait and allow this judicial process which is, in my eyes, a complete circus, to play out.
‘We were told almost two months ago, when they last were in court, that a sentence would be passed in a couple weeks. We’re now two months down the line and nothing has happened.
‘I keep saying that we need to be being more accountable as a Government and speaking out. They are accused of espionage, spying for the British state, and yet that same UK Government won’t come out and defend them and say that they completely deny the allegations.’
Mr Bennett added the Foreign Office has indicated the Government does not want to be seen as interfering with the judicial process unfolding in Iran, but he believes enough time has passed.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman (pictured), both 52, were arrested in Kerman, southern Iran, on January 3, as they embarked on a motorcycle trip around the world to Australia
Joe Bennett has been forefront in campaigning for his mother and step-father’s release
He said: ‘They’re not being accused of something like shoplifting, or a petty crime, they are being accused of espionage. This is a state level charge of crime, and they need to be backing their UK citizens.
‘That’s what I believe needs to be done – taking a stand and saying: ‘This isn’t right, we do not agree with it, and we want our citizens home as soon as possible.”
He added: ‘It feels like they’re waiting for something. We’re at a bit of a stalemate right now – Iran are waiting for the UK to move, the UK are waiting for Iran to move, and stuck in the middle are my parents and us.’
Mr Bennett said his mother is ‘suffering a lot with her skin and weight’ owing to a lack of ventilation and poor conditions in the prison.
He said: ‘It is extremely dirty. She’s cooking, the kitchen’s filled with rats. It is dire, to be honest with you, for them both.
‘They’ve lost a lot of weight because there isn’t enough nourishment. They’re eating rice and gristle every day. They can’t really exercise. It’s overcrowded and cramped.’
As Mr Bennett and his family prepare to celebrate Christmas without Mr and Mrs Foreman, he said he feels ‘a sense of guilt’ while his mother is ‘stuck in a cell’, unable to celebrate.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) warns all British and British-Iranian nationals not to travel to Iran because of a ‘significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention’.
The couple, from east Sussex, had intended to travel from Armenia to Pakistan via Iran when they were intercepted by authorities and later charged with espionage
In a statement in October, a spokesman for the FCDO said: ‘We are deeply concerned by reports that Craig and Lindsay Foreman have been charged with espionage in Iran.
‘We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities.
‘The FCDO are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.’
