Brit mum serving 10-year sentence in Iran shares emotional update on 'returning home' (original) (raw)

Brit couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman are said to be living in harsh conditions in Iran's notorious Evin prison, following their 10-year sentence on espionage charges, which they deny

Lindsay Foreman, who along with her husband Craig Foreman is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence in Iran, has spoken emotionally about her hopes of returning home. The British couple, from East Sussex, have spent more than 14 months in detention on espionage charges, which they deny, and are being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison.

Both in their 50s, the pair were travelling on a round-the-world motorcycle journey when they were arrested in January last year. They had entered Iran from Armenia on December 30, intending to pass through the country en route to Australia.

They were travelling as tourists with valid visas, an approved itinerary and a guide, though ignored advice about travelling to the country by The Foreign Office. According to Lindsay's friend, The Independent's Naomi Connell, thousands of others had entered and exited the country fine without incident at the time.

Reflecting on their decision, the mother-of-two said: "We did not imagine that this trip of a lifetime could turn into being captured at gunpoint and held in solitary confinement."

While adapting to harsh conditions in prison, the Brit said the most difficult part of her detention is being separated from her loved ones back home.

"Knowing they're out there and not being able to hug them - that's the hardest thing. Thank you for not forgetting us," she said. "I just can’t wait to come home."

In a statement earlier this month, the couple's family said they remain extremely worried about their wellbeing. Their concerns have intensified following explosions near Evin prison amid escalating conflict in the region.

After speaking with Lindsay and Craig, relatives said the pair had heard "lots of explosions" nearby, with blasts reportedly strong enough to damage parts of the prison.

Concerns grew after guards reportedly abandoned the prison, where they're being held, out of fears they could be caught in a US strike.

Their son, Joe Bennett, told Reuters: "My parents are living under a ‘drone of drones’, the constant, maddening buzz of hundreds of machines in the sky." He added that they are being held in harsh conditions, which includes being surrounded by "rats and cockroaches, sleeping on metal bunks without mattresses [and] in a state of constant physical pain".

He has urged UK and US officials to prioritise efforts to secure the release of foreign nationals.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has previously described the couple's sentencing as "totally unjustifiable" and said the government would "pursue this case relentlessly" until they are safely returned to the UK.

Speaking this week, Joe claimed Yvette offered only "delay ⁠and uncertainty" during a meeting he held with her this week.

A spokesperson for the foreign ministry said in an emailed statement that the welfare of British nationals detained in Iran was a priority "for this government and ⁠continued to be during the current situation in the Middle East."