Craig and Lindsay Foreman jailed for ten years in Tehran’s Evin prison
Craig Foreman speaks to ITV News Global Security Editor Rohit Kachroo from inside a notorious Iranian prison, as he and his wife say they have been given a ten-year sentence.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman were arrested while traveling through Iran in January 2025 and later accused of espionage — charges they deny.
Both are being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where many foreign nationals and political detainees are confined.
They told family members they were informed of the sentence earlier this week.
The development came shortly after Craig Foreman told ITV News he and his wife were being “held hostage” by the Iranian authorities, describing the reality of their detention during two telephone interviews.
The sentence is unusually long — twice the five-year term imposed on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian dual national whose detention became one of the most high-profile diplomatic disputes between London and Tehran.
Joe Bennett, Lindsay Foreman’s son, said: “My parents have now been sentenced to ten years following a trial that lasted just three hours and in which they were not allowed to present a defense. They have consistently denied the allegations. We have seen no evidence to support the charge of espionage.
“We are deeply concerned about their welfare and about the lack of transparency in the judicial process.
“We were previously told that once sentencing occurred, further action would follow. We now hope the UK government will act decisively and use every available avenue to secure their release.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the sentence was "completely appalling and totally unjustifiable".
Craig Foreman gave his first interview from prison hours earlier, describing the message he wanted to send to the British government. “One word would be: ‘help’. Full stop,” he told ITV News.
“I don’t understand why we have been here for 13 months, being held hostage in 2026. In what day and age does this [happen?] When does this end?”
He described harsh conditions, including 57 days in solitary confinement. “I was weeping, crying many nights — many days,” he said, speaking over a crackly prison phone line interrupted by automated messages in Farsi.
"Emotionally and physically, it broke me to pieces.”
He described being held in “an eight-foot cell with a hole in the floor and a sink… they are disgusting.
“You have nothing to read. You have nothing to look at.”
He is now held in a larger shared room with other foreign prisoners.
“We are 12 people in this room… probably eight meters by four meters,” he said. “So the room is tight. But it’s workable. So, it’s got a good working relationship in my room.”
Craig Foreman also described the moment of his arrest, four days after arriving in Iran.
He said armed plain-clothes officers and uniformed personnel seized their devices before returning later to their hotel.
“They escorted us from the hotel, blindfolds on, we’re bundled into the back of the car, told not to talk, and escorted to a police station.”
The Foremans had been asked to return to their accommodation so police officers could search their devices. "I guess maybe four hours later, it was late, maybe five hours."
"And, I could say half a dozen plain clothes police all in black came into the hotel, all with their helmets on, their phones filming us."
Last week, ITV News spoke to Lindsay Foreman, who is being held in a separate wing of the same prison. She described what she called psychological torture — being promised release, being told she would see her husband, and then discovering those promises were false.
Craig Foreman said the rare meetings between them are essential. “I know her prison is just 70 meters away, and I get to see her once a month,” he said.
“For me and for Lindsay, seeing each other is the only thing that’s keeping us going right now. I love my wife dearly. She’s the love of my life.”
The couple expect to appear before a court in Tehran in the coming days.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This sentence is completely appalling and totally unjustifiable. We will pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian government until we see Craig and Lindsay Foreman safely returned to the UK and reunited with their family.
"In the meantime, their welfare is our priority and we will continue to provide consular assistance to them and their families.”
World Affairs Correspondent
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
