UN human rights experts Dr Alice Edwards and Mai Sato have urged Iran to release British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman, who were sentenced to 10 years in prison on the basis of alleged spying claims.
The couple, from East Sussex, were detained in January 2025 while passing through Iran on a round‑the‑world motorcycle trip and have denied any wrongdoing. They are now on a 30‑day hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin jail after phone contact with their family was cut last month, which the experts say is a medical emergency.
Edwards, the UN’s special rapporteur on torture, and Sato, the special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, criticised the proceedings as irregular and the convictions as politically motivated. They called on the Iranian authorities to quash the convictions and on the UK government to use all diplomatic avenues to secure the couple’s release.
The couple’s last consular visit was in December, and the Foreign Office said it will continue to work to ensure they are returned safely to the UK. They recently lost an appeal against their 10‑year sentence, and the case has now been passed to the Supreme Court, though the family remain uncertain about the legal process and next steps.
One of the couple’s sons, Joe Bennett, said they were denied access to their appeal hearing and that any serious peace framework with Iran should include the release of foreign detainees. He criticised the UK for leaving “human beings” behind in prison cells while discussions on sanctions and shipping lanes continue.
