It has been over six months since Lindsay and Craig Foreman were detained in Iran on charges of espionage whilst on a trip of a lifetime – and their terrified family still don’t know what conditions they are enduring
British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman have spent over six months detained in Iran after being arrested on charges of espionage – despite the fact their family insists they are “not spies”.
The couple embarked on what was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime, taking a motorcycle trip across the world from Spain to Australia to learn about what makes a good life, from forging connections and building strong communities.
Lindsay and Craig’s frantic four children have been tirelessly campaigning for their “generous and fun” parents’ release, and are determined to do everything they can to bring the couple home.
But adding to their fear, the family knows very little about the conditions Lindsay and Craig are facing, but they believe they are currently held in Kerman Prison. The couple was due to be transferred to Tehran’s infamous Evin Prison in early June, before Israeli strikes hit the facility.
Their children didn’t have any confirmation for weeks about their parents’ whereabouts, including if the planned transfer had gone ahead, or if they were even safe or alive – however, they have since been told through the Foreign Office that they are in Kerman.
Craig’s son Kieran has described the family’s situation to the Mirror as feeling “like you are falling down a pit and you can’t get up” – as they struggle with “limited” information about their mum and dad.
“We are limited on the information we are given on the condition and we were told they are in a rather small cell together. We think they had a bed, but before they were sleeping on the floor and apart,” Joe and Kieran have told the Mirror.
“They are trying to keep fit by running in a figure of 8 around that room, but we know that at one time Mum (Lindsay) had problems with her back and Dad (Craig) also wasn’t walking right.”
The main information we have about what conditions are like inside the Iranian prison system is from former hostages like Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori – who was released alongside Nazanin in 2022 – who were detained in Iran for six and five years respectively.
Anoosheh bravely gave a “glimpse” of what he endured during his ordeal to the Mirror, describing his time in Evin Prison as “unbearable”.
“The food was foul and sub-standard, especially for those who couldn’t afford to pay for slightly better meals through the prison shop,” he said. “The rooms were cramped – around 15 people per room, though numbers would rise significantly during times of crisis. We battled constant infestations of bed bugs, cockroaches, and even rats. Sometimes, rat droppings and body parts of cockroaches would even end up in our food.
“Sanitation was poor, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical care was severely lacking – the so-called clinic was little more than a façade. Medicine was scarce. Prisoners had to rely on loved ones to bring medications, and even then, some of it would mysteriously go missing before reaching us.”
The former hostage explained that, “The regime created an environment of chronic pressure. Tensions ran so high that arguments and fights among prisoners became common. I call it ‘passive torture’ – a method of inflicting suffering indirectly by fostering an atmosphere where inmates, under extreme stress, begin to turn on each other.”
Anoosheh added, “I was fortunate that, after being moved from the interrogation centre to the main prison, I could call my wife Sherry almost every day. But during interrogation, communication is nearly impossible.
“You are completely at the mercy of your captors. If you’re allowed a short call, a guard stands beside you, dictating what you’re allowed to say – and warning you about what not to say. Every word is monitored.”
In a moving lecture she gave last year, Nazanin – who was detained in both Kerman and Evin Prisons – explored the differences between the two facilities.
When she was first arrested, she spent 45 days in solitary confinement in Kerman Prison. “The cell had tall walls and cold floor. There was no bed but only thin blanket. I didn’t shower for days as I wasn’t allowed to leave the cell. The walls were towering and the constant light in the cell was blinding. I was terrified, lost and emotionally traumatised.”
She described Kerman as incredibly overcrowded, with “the number of prisoners living there was almost three times more than its actual capacity,” and only enough showers for every prisoner to wash for a few minutes. However, once she was moved out of her solitary cell, she found kindness amongst the other women, and was able to phone her parents, though she told how, devastatingly, “the majority of women in Kerman Prison had given up.”
When she was transferred to Evin, she again found solidarity amongst the prisoners – who she said often had higher education levels than those in Kerman and were determined to find routes to hopefulness to bring each other strength.
Lindsay and Craig’s family hope that people will join their campaign and write to their MPs to help secure the release of the couple.
Sign the petition at https://www.change.org/freelindsayandcraig or to learn more, visit www.freelindsayandcraig.com