“We are not spies, our lives are in danger”

In his first statement since the start of the war, Lindsay y Craig Foremanboth 53 years old and originally from East Sussexdescribed feeling “disappointed, alone and completely frustrated.” The message was recorded by his son, Joe Bennettand disseminated by agencies such as Reuters.

In addition, they request the Government led by Keir Starmer to take a step forward and try to protect its citizens, who claim to feel in a “vital” risk situation in the Persian country.

This is the first time that the Foreman couple issues a public statement through his family since the beginning of the military conflict caused by the US-Israeli military operations on February 28.

This way of acting on the part of the Iranian regime is not new, but is a technique that they have used on numerous occasions since the dictatorship.

As reported by the organization Center for Human Rights in Iranthe regime imprisons foreign citizens or those with dual nationality, under similar accusations, and they are sometimes used to exert diplomatic pressure.

Mr. Foreman claimed that Iranian authorities fabricated evidence against him to justify a 10-year sentence on charges of acting as spies, and that the Iranian government The United Kingdom is fully aware of his innocence.

The two citizens of this county in the southeast of England were arrested in January 2025 on charges of espionage for the United Kingdom. after traveling through the Islamic Republic on a motorcycle and were sentenced last February.

They received the sentence after having spent 13 months in three different prisons. They are currently in Evin prison in Tehran, one of the toughest in the regime.

Foreman, in turn, appealed in a video recorded from prison to the Labor Executive to publicly declare that they are not spies.

“It is very difficult to understand why our innocence has not been publicly declared. The accusations against us are simply false,” Foreman claimed from prison.

According to the son of the imprisoned couple, his parents are being held in separate cells in conditions “deplorables“and in constant deterioration.

In parallel, Bennett stated that they did not have medical care and that food supplies were increasingly scarce for the inmates.

Family members ask for help

The family of the two imprisoned men has called on the prime minister to get involved in this case. Bennett states that “her mother is devastated” and feels “completely lost” as she feels abandoned by the British Government.

“They feel that they have been abandoned by their own country. These are false accusations. The Government must say so publicly. Anything else only contributes to perpetuating a false narrative and prolongs the suffering of innocent people,” he claimed.

The request of the British family received a response from the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, Yvette Cooperwhich stated that “they had already condemned the sentence” and promised the family to “pursue this case tirelessly” until they return home safely.

At this time of constant bombings on Tehran, one of the fears they have is that an attack will occur in the area where they are located, since there has been a “significant deterioration” in the conditions in which they live since the beginning of the conflict with Israel and the US.

The family also requested that the Executive will take prompt actionfearing that “the prison walls could be attacked at any time.” According to the two arrested citizens, there are not even security mechanisms in these prisons.

A trip not recommended

The couple had embarked on a motorcycle trip described by the family as “once in a lifetime” from Europe to Australiaand they only planned to be in Iran for a few days with the intention of getting to know the country.

Both had entered this country despite warnings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which advises against traveling to Iran due to the risk of arrest. But they had valid visas, a tour guide and a pre-approved itinerary.

Last week there was a meeting between the British foreign minister and the couple’s son to talk about the case. But he later expressed frustration, saying his government lacked a clear strategy or sense of urgency.

“While France and Germany have achieved the release of their citizens through strong intervention, the UK remains stuck in a wait-and-see attitude, which has already cost my parents almost 15 months of their lives,” he said.

The Foreign Office stated: “The welfare of British citizens detained in Iran is a priority for the UK and remains so during the current situation in the Middle East.” They assure that “will continue to offer consular assistance“to the couple and their family.