A British couple detained in Iran on espionage charges are being held in harsh conditions and could face lengthy prison terms, their family says, as their son campaigns for greater government intervention.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52, were travelling in Iran as part of a motorcycle round-the-world trip and a psychology research project when they were arrested in January, according to family accounts. The Foreign Office had advised against travel to Iran and warned British nationals of risks including arrest and detention. Human rights lawyers have told the family they should expect sentences that could reach up to 10 years.
Their son, Joe Bennett, 31, said he last spoke directly to his mother in early January and that communication with both parents stopped shortly afterward. Family members were later informed that the couple were being detained; the family says authorities confirmed their detention on Jan. 27. Reports in late August indicated the couple had been brought to a Tehran court for a hearing with state-appointed counsel, but the family says details of any charges and court proceedings remain unclear.
Bennett, who has taken leave from his job as a sales manager to campaign for their release, described the conditions his mother and stepfather are facing. He said his mother has been held in Qarchak women’s prison near Tehran in an overcrowded, unsanitary cell measuring about 13 square metres with roughly 10 other prisoners, sleeping on a metal bed frame without a mattress, and surviving on a limited diet and little water amid high temperatures. He said his stepfather was being held in Fashafouyeh central prison in the capital in a cell with about 21 inmates. Bennett said both had lost weight and were struggling to walk.
The family says Lindsay and Craig deny the espionage accusations. Bennett said his mother was conducting informal research on perceptions of a "good life" as part of a longer project and that the couple had been uploading progress updates and photographs while travelling. He said they were not political actors and did not have links to intelligence activities.
The Foreign Office has been in contact with the family, who say British officials have provided consular support. Bennett said the family was advised to pursue quiet diplomacy rather than public campaigning initially but later went public amid fears for their safety after the couple were due to be transferred to Kerman prison, which was later reported to have been bombed. Bennett said the decision to speak out was driven by concern over the couple’s whereabouts and the escalating regional tensions.
Bennett said the family received a phone call from Craig on Sept. 2 and that he had not spoken to his mother since a shorter conversation in August. He described receiving intermittent voice messages recorded on other inmates’ phones and occasional emails as the family’s only sources of information about their welfare.
Human rights lawyers advising the family have warned that Iranian courts may hand down sentences of up to 10 years for espionage-related convictions, and the family has voiced concern that Iran could also use detained foreign nationals as bargaining chips in wider diplomatic disputes. Bennett said his family had been told that sentences are sometimes negotiated down and that authorities sometimes use detainees as leverage in negotiations with foreign governments.
The family met with Foreign Office staff in recent weeks seeking clarity about consular access and the status of legal proceedings. Bennett said the meeting focused on the conditions his parents were reported to be experiencing and on their coping, but he expressed frustration that the Foreign Office had not informed them in advance about court movements that the family learned about from other sources on the ground. He said he wants higher-level government engagement with Iran to ensure the case receives full attention.
Bennett described the personal toll on the extended family. He said Craig has adult children and elderly parents in their 80s, and that Lindsay’s own mother, aged 78, has been repeatedly distressed by news coverage. He said family members are worried they may not see their parents again if lengthy sentences are imposed.
The couple had previously appeared on a television programme after moving to Spain in 2019 and later set out on the tour to gather stories of hope and to report on their research. Bennett acknowledged that posting travel updates from a country where the Foreign Office had warned against travel made it easier for authorities to track them, but said that the decision to travel did not justify what has happened since their detention.
The case highlights longstanding concerns about the detention of foreign nationals in Iran and the challenges consular teams face when access to detainees and information about legal proceedings is restricted. The Foreign Office regularly warns British nationals of the risk of arbitrary arrest in Iran and advises that access to legal representation and fair trial standards can be limited. Human rights groups have repeatedly called for transparency in the treatment of foreign detainees.
Bennett said the family continues to press for consular access and for British officials to raise the case at the highest levels. He said the family draws comfort from small connections, such as his practice of looking at the moon as a way to feel close to his parents, and remains hopeful for their release. "Love outweighs everything," he said. "They will come home. They will be okay."