{"id":142422,"date":"2026-06-02T18:09:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T18:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/142422\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T18:09:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T18:09:17","slug":"british-couple-held-in-iran-lose-appeal-against-10-year-prison-sentence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/142422\/","title":{"rendered":"British couple held in Iran lose appeal against 10-year prison sentence"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONDON, United Kingdom \u2014 A British couple held in Iran have lost their appeal against a 10-year prison sentence, their family said on Tuesday, adding that the pair were not allowed to attend the hearing and had little information about the proceedings.<\/p>\n

Craig and Lindsay Foreman were sentenced to 10 years in a Tehran prison last year after Iran charged them with espionage, which they deny.<\/p>\n

The family said the appeal was conducted without their knowledge and the couple had been asked to sign documents in Farsi that they could not read.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were not permitted to attend their own appeal hearing,\u201d Lindsay Foreman\u2019s son, Joe Bennett, said in a statement, adding that the family did not know whether the couple had received a proper account of the case presented for them.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Judiciary did not immediately respond to a call for comment from Reuters.<\/p>\n

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Britain\u2019s foreign ministry said: \u201cWe are disappointed by the appeal decision and will continue working to ensure that Craig and Lindsay are returned safely to the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bennett said the case had now been referred to Iran\u2019s Supreme Court but that the process and timeline remained unclear, adding that the couple was effectively without legal representation.<\/p>\n

He also said the pair were on hunger strike in protest.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tFamily and supporters of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a British couple detained in Iran, march in London on January 3, 2026, to raise national awareness of the couple\u2019s ongoing detention and the need for urgent intervention. (Brook Mitchell \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

The pair were detained in Kerman, central Iran, in January 2025 while traveling through the country on an around-the-world motorcycle journey, their family has said.<\/p>\n

Lindsey is being held in the women\u2019s section of the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, while Craig is being held in its political wing.<\/p>\n

The prison has long been criticized by international human rights organizations for its dire conditions and treatment of prisoners.<\/p>\n

Their family has raised concerns about conditions there, including cramped cells and a lack of food, as well as a lack of legal representation.<\/p>\n

The British government has previously called the Foremans\u2019 sentence \u201ctotally unjustifiable\u201d and said it would continue to press for their release.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tTwo women walk amidst debris at the Evin prison\u2019s visitor room after Israeli airstrikes the previous month, in Tehran, on July 1, 2025. (AFP)<\/p>\n

The family has criticized the UK government\u2019s response, saying earlier this year the pair were being used as \u201ceffective human shields\u201d during the US-Israeli war with Iran.<\/p>\n

At one point during the war, which began on February 28, the family said a blast near Evin prison had blown out the window panels in Craig\u2019s ward, causing plaster to fall onto inmates, who dived under their beds for cover.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents are living under a \u2018drone of drones\u2019, the constant, maddening buzz of 600 machines in the sky,\u201d Bennett said at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are sharing small rectangular cells with rats and cockroaches, sleeping on metal bunks without mattresses in a state of constant physical pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

AFP contributed to this report.<\/p>\n


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