British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman are serving 10 years in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, where son Joe Bennett tells the Mirror his step-dad’s health is failing
The son of a Brit dad detained on espionage charges in Iran fears he could die after suffering a serious medical complication.
Craig Foreman and his wife Lindsay, from East Sussex, are 15 months into a 10-year sentence in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison after being convicted on espionage charges in a ‘sham trial’ on February 17, where they were not allowed a defence.
Psychologist Lindsay and carpenter Craig were travelling on motorbikes across the world on a trip of a lifetime when they were arrested. Contact with their families ceased and for months their loved ones had no idea if they were dead or alive.
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Since then, Lindsay’s sons, Joe Bennett, 31, and Toby Rutland, 19, and Craig’s children Kieran, 27, and Chelsea Foreman, 30, have campaigned tirelessly for their release. Iran has been accused of holding the couple to use as bargaining chips with the West.
Amid heightened tensions, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised there is a “very high risk of arrest, questioning and detention for British nationals and British-Iranian dual nationals” and warns against all travel to the country.
Now Joe, from Folkestone in Kent, tells The Mirror that his step-dad’s health has taken a dangerous turn and that, without treatment, his life could be in danger.
“We are very concerned. Craig is currently dealing with an untreated [tooth] abscess, which is painful and requires proper medical care. In a prison environment like Evin, even something treatable can become serious very quickly if it is ignored.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, abscesses can easily prove fatal, with tooth abscesses one of the most dangerous kinds. Without antibiotics, the infection can quickly spread to other parts of the body causing sepsis and necrotizing fasciitis, leading to death.
“That is why this is urgent. This is not just about principle, it is about their health and their safety right now,” Joe adds.
There has, however, been a sliver of good news for the duo after the UK Government went on the record to denounce Iran by stating that the pair are ‘innocent tourists’.
On Tuesday, April 21, Sir Iain Duncan Smith discussed the terrifying conditions the couple have been enduring in Parliament, and asked the Government to formally acknowledge that they are innocent. Minister Hamish Falconer said: “This is a terrible case. It is absolutely obvious that they were innocent tourists. That is clear to all concerned. We have made that point repeatedly to the Iranian regime. We will continue to pursue this case. It is an injustice.”
Joe – who has paused his own career to campaign for the couple’s release – welcomed the news but said that more needs to be done to bring them home.
“It is important, and it matters to us as a family to hear that said clearly. But the reality is, we have always known they are innocent. This is not new to us. What matters now is what comes next. If it is ‘absolutely obvious’ they are innocent tourists, then the focus has to be on bringing them home, not just saying the right words.”
Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was held hostage for nearly six years in Iran, echoes these sentiments. “It is good that he [Falconer] did it,” he says to the Mirror. “It is always better late than never in these cases. But the question now is what the Government is going to do about their innocence, and whether it is going to change its approach of concerned waiting, which is all we have really seen to date.”
Nazanin was imprisoned between 2017 and 2022 on a series of charges, from spying to plotting to overthrow the regime. She was released when Britain paid Iran £393.8 million in an outstanding debt. And Richard believes the Government’s latest actions suggest there could be developments behind the scenes.
“In Nazanin’s case we got told about the debt and why Nazanin had been taken shortly after her conviction, so I would presume the UK Government does now know what Iran wants for the Foremans. So that might have triggered the Minister’s recognition of their innocence finally.”
Noting that France has just successfully brought two hostages home from Iran, Richard believes the current war between the US and Iran could actually work in their favour. “Paradoxically in a conflict sometimes there is more openness to confidence building,” he says. “So I hope Yvette Cooper and Hamish Falconer are raising their cases at every conversation with Iran, and when discussing regional tensions.”
Meanwhile, Joe says that despite Lindsay and Craig’s ‘real resilience’, they can hear the war raging around them and are terrified. On one occasion, Joe and his mum were in the middle of a call when a bomb exploded nearby, causing “structural damage”.
“It has been incredibly difficult,” Joe says. “You are watching a conflict unfold, hearing reports of strikes near where your family is being held, and at the same time you are trying to stay composed and keep pushing for help. There have been moments where it feels overwhelming, but we have never had the option to stop. Every day matters when people you love are in that situation, so we have just kept going.”
When it comes to what Joe and his siblings want to see happen next, he couldn’t be more clear: ‘action’. “The Government has now said clearly that Lindsay and Craig are innocent tourists. The next step is to match that with action.
“We want to see their detention formally recognised as arbitrary, and we want to see this case placed firmly on the agenda in ongoing diplomatic discussions. This is about using every available channel to secure their release. Because if it is accepted that they are innocent, then the priority has to be bringing them home as quickly as possible.”
An FCDO spokesperson said: “Since Lindsay and Craig’s arrest last year, Britain’s Ambassador to Tehran, diplomats and officials in London have been working to provide consular assistance. This includes the ambassador visiting them in prison and facilitating calls with their family back in the UK.
“The Foreign Secretary last met the family on 17 March. She set out to them personally how unjustified and appalling their incarceration continues to be. The UK Government continues work to safely return Craig and Lindsay to the UK.”
Lindsay and Craig’s family are calling for supporters sign the petition to bring them home, while donations can be made at GoFundMe.
