British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman are trapped in Iran’s hellish Evin Prison, and Lindsay’s son Joe tells the Mirror about the family’s terror as the couple’s communication with the outside world has been stripped
A British couple trapped in a ‘hell hole’ Iran prison have been completely cut off from the outside world, with prison bosses banning them from contacting family.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 53 from East Sussex, are 15 months into a 10-year sentence in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. They were convicted of espigonage in a ‘sham trial’ on February 17, where they were not allowed a defence. Minister Hamish Falconer recently described the couple as “innocent tourists” in Parliament, with the UK government slamming the case as “appalling”.
They were first arrested in January 2025 while they were on what was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime, as the pair travelled across the world on motorbikes. For months, their family had zero contact and no proof the couple were even still alive. Lindsay and Craig were finally permitted phone calls, but now they’ve been stripped of them again – severing their only form of comfort and leaving them ‘terrified’.
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After speaking to the BBC in early May about the conditions in the prison, the couple’s phone cards have been taken away, according to their family. Lindsay’s sons, Joe Bennett, 32, and Toby Rutland, 19, and Craig’s children Kieran, 27, and Chelsea Foreman, 30, have been tirelessly campaigning for their release. And now they face the horrifying reality of not knowing whether their parents are alive.
Lindsay’s son Joe tells the Mirror that the family are incredibly worried at the radio silence from their parents. “During one of our last communications, Craig warned us that their calls were being revoked,” Joe claims. “They were told it would supposedly be for seven days following the media interview they gave, but we are now well beyond that period with no contact at all.
“Those calls are their only direct link to family and the outside world, so when that suddenly disappears, it creates enormous fear and uncertainty for everyone involved,” he warns.
“We have had intermittent periods of silence before, particularly during the protests and during the regional conflict, but since regular calls were established around November time, this is the longest we have gone without hearing from them,” Joe tells us. “Over time those calls became our reassurance that they were coping, still together and still fighting mentally. Losing that contact again after everything they have endured is incredibly difficult.”
He adds: “It is always deeply worrying when they are suddenly incommunicado. Panic, fear and uncertainty naturally kick in because your mind immediately starts imagining worst case scenarios. We have to hold onto the belief that they are OK, but without any direct contact and with very limited information coming through official channels, it becomes extremely hard emotionally to navigate.
“At the end of the day, these are two innocent British citizens sitting in prison thousands of miles from home, and silence in those circumstances is terrifying for any family.”
The couple’s recent interview – their first from inside prison – saw them make terrifying claims about the conditions inside, with Lindsay breaking down in tears at one stage over the “unfair” treatment of prisoners. Craig said that four of his cellmates have been executed during his time there, with prison officers allegedly pretending that they were being taken to a family visit, only for their fellow inmates to find out the following day that they had been killed.
The harrowing account was given after what Joe claims was a disheartening call with the British Ambassador to Iran: “It was mainly the tone and language used during the conversation,” Joe explains, adding that it left the couple distressed. “There was very little optimism and it came across as quite defeatist, which is the absolute last thing either Lindsay or Craig needed psychologically after fifteen months in prison.
“What they need to hear is that the government is working relentlessly, pursuing every possible avenue and continuing to push for their release, even whilst navigating an incredibly difficult diplomatic situation. Hope matters enormously in circumstances like these, and I think that call left them feeling far more uncertain about what happens next”.
The Mirror understands the FCDO has raised concerns about restrictions on the couple’s phone access to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), and are actively seeking agreement from the MFA to allow their officials to speak directly to the couple. The FCDO advise against all travel to Iran as Brits and dual nationals at significant risk of detention – with Iran regularly accused of keeping hostages as political collateral.
For months, Craig was suffering from an untreated dental abscess, but he has finally been “able to have the tooth extracted off site,” Joe tells the Mirror. “That was genuinely welcomed news for us because I cannot imagine the level of pain he must have been dealing with during that time.
“More broadly though, it again highlights how difficult and slow access to medical treatment has been throughout their detention, which remains a major concern for the family.”
But it’s not just the couple’s access to phone calls that has been raised as a possible punitive measure for their interview. Joe says that “around the same period that they were informed their calls were being cut off,” the prospect of solitary confinement and being barred from seeing each other were also allegedly raised. “At this stage, I have no way of independently confirming whether they are are currently facing those conditions, which again is part of what makes this silence so distressing for the family.
“The thought that they could potentially be separated after everything they have already endured is incredibly upsetting. Being able to see one another has been one of the few remaining sources of support and strength available to them inside prison.”
In November 2025, Lindsay and Craig went on hunger strike to draw attention to their plight, but Joe told us at the time that such an extreme measure should always be an absolute “last resort”.
The couple may be on hunger strike once more, with Craig telling his family that they might have no other choice if their ability to communicate with the outside world is stripped from them. Joe says “I absolutely stand by that,” about his previous comments that it should be a last resort. “They are already enduring enough hardship as it is. Hunger strikes can have a very serious impact physically and psychologically, particularly after such a prolonged period of detention.
“But I think it also shows just how important these calls are, and how important it is for them to be able to see one another. Both were promised to them, and both are very basic human rights. When communication is removed entirely and people are left feeling isolated or voiceless, it inevitably increases concern around where their mental state may end up. As a family, we desperately hope it never reaches that stage again.”
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 we consider Lindsay and Craig’s incarceration to be, and the action that the UK Government is taking to try and secure their release. We will continue working to ensure that Craig and Lindsay are returned safely to the UK.”
