London: Britain’s Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has described a 10-year prison sentence handed down in Iran to a British couple as ‘totally unjustifiable.’ Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran on a round-the-world motorcycle trip and were later charged with espionage. They are being held in Tehran’s Evin prison and deny the allegations.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Cooper stated that the sentence is completely appalling and totally unjustifiable. She emphasized that the UK government would pursue the case relentlessly until the couple is safely returned. Joe Bennett, Lindsay Foreman’s son, expressed the family’s deep concern about the couple’s welfare, highlighting a lack of transparency in the judicial process.
Bennett noted that his parents have been sentenced to 10 years following a trial that lasted just three hours, during which they were not allowed to present a defense. Ahead of the sentencing, Craig Foreman communicated with ITV News, appealing to the UK government for help and describing harsh detention conditions, including 57 days in solitary confinement. The couple was scheduled to appear before a court in Tehran in the coming days.