Family of UK couple jailed in Iran demand stronger action after Miliband meeting

The family of a British couple jailed in Iran on spying charges have urged the Government to consider legal action following a meeting with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband.

Craig Foreman and his wife Lindsay were sentenced to 10 years in prison in February after being convicted of espionage, charges they both deny.

The couple’s family welcomed Tuesday’s meeting but called for diplomatic protection,  formal recognition of their detention as arbitrary and for the Government to consider initiating legal proceedings at the International Court of Justice.

Joe Bennett, son of Lindsay Foreman, said he was ‘encouraged’ by his meeting with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband (PA)

PA Wire

Mr and Mrs Foreman, from East Sussex, were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran during an around-the-world motorcycle trip.

Joe Bennett, Lindsay’s son and Craig’s stepson, said in a statement: “We are grateful to the Foreign Secretary for listening and engaging with us so personally.

“I came out of that room feeling we have edged closer to our goal: bringing mum and Craig home, and seeing their detention named for what it is – arbitrary.

“But a meeting is not a result.

“Mum and Craig have now spent 664 days in prison for something they did not do.

“Being on the table is not the same as being acted on.

“We now need the Foreign Secretary to take the decisions that will bring them home.”

Mr Miliband raised the couple’s case with Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi at the UN General Assembly in September.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “Craig and Lindsay’s health and welfare is a top priority. Since their arrest last year, Britain’s ambassador to Tehran, along with diplomats and officials in London, have been working to provide consular assistance.

“This includes the ambassador visiting them in prison.”

The spokesperson said Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty and the UK’s envoy for complex consular detentions, Alistair Burt, also attended the meeting.

They continued: “The Foreign Secretary set out how unjustified and appalling we consider Lindsay and Craig’s incarceration to be, and the action that the UK Government is taking to try to secure their release.”

Earlier this month, 49 MPs and peers signed a letter to Mr Miliband calling for stronger action to secure the couple’s release.

Mr and Mrs Foreman ended lengthy hunger strikes in August, but their family said they continue to face difficulties receiving supplies and are limited to one supervised phone call per week.

In June, the couple’s family said the pair had lost an appeal against their convictions and were unable to attend their appeal hearing.

The Government previously described the couple’s decade-long sentences as “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable”.

The FCDO warns all British and British-Iranian nationals not to travel to Iran because of a “significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention”.