A British couple jailed in Iran after spying accused them of starving in a “cry for help”, their son has told the BBC.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman were on an around-the-world motorcycle ride when they were arrested by Iranian authorities in January.
Joe Bennett, Lindsay’s son, described the charges against them as “ludicrous”. He said his mother told him that “not eating was the only power he got”, in a seven-minute phone call he allowed on Tuesday.
“He said he felt lost and let down by the government here as well as the Iranian authorities,” he added. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) has been approached for comment.
The Foremans’ family said they entered Iran with a valid visa, a licensed guide and a pre-approved itinerary – as the rules there set out.
Lindsay Foreman asks people on the route what it means to live a good life.
This appears to be what caused them to fall foul of the Iranian authorities.
He was accused of asking questions that could prompt regime change, Mr. Bennett said.
The pair have appeared in court several times but have never been officially tried – or convicted. Both are now in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
Mr Bennett met UK FIRICED SEIGN SECEPETTE Cooper last month to discuss the case.
The UK government advises against all travel to Iran due to a “significant risk” of arrest, and says that having a British Passport or connections to the UK “could lead to INDIAN AUDIT IN IRAN”.
The FCDO previously said it “continues to raise the case of MR and MS Foreman directly with the Iranian authorities” and provided them with consular assistance.
Mr. Bennett has only spoken to his mother three times since the arrest.
The couple, both in their 50s, were only allowed their first phone call at home in August, after months of no direct contact.
Mr Bennett told the BBC he was not sure if the hunger strike would help secure the phone call, or if it had already started.
“She was crying and I had to try not to cry on the call because I wanted to stay strong for her and keep the energy going,” she added.
He said that his mother was “usually a positive person” and this was the first time he heard his mother angry.
“Positiveness only lasts for a long time,” he said. “It’s just a cry for help.”
The foremen were initially held in the city of Kerman and spent 30 days in solitary confinement before being allowed to share a cell.
They are now in separate cells at Iran’s Evin Jail, where the British-Iranian Activist activist Navani-Ratcliffe will be imprisoned until 2022. He also continues his hunger strike,
The formers apparently promised to see each other last Sunday but the visit did not happen.
The last time they saw each other was a visit from the British Embassy six weeks ago, Mr. Bennett said. Another consular visit is due to take place on Sunday.
He asked the UK to do more to secure their release and specifically state that the couple were not investigating for the British government.
“They had a wonderful time visiting Iran,” he said. “They can’t accept the country more … they say it’s a beautiful country.”
“The charges against them are absolutely bonkers,” he added.
Mr. Bennett said the phone call to his mother ended abruptly. He didn’t know when he would hear from her again.
His last words to her were: “I love you loads and I miss you,” he said.
“And I said the same thing to him – ‘I love you so much’. And that’s when I started crying, I couldn’t hold it together.”
Additional reporting by Ruth Comerford.