In brief
UN special rapporteurs Dr Alice Edwards and Mai Sato have demanded the release of British citizens Lindsay and Craig Foreman, who were sentenced to ten years in Iran on spying allegations. The couple, detained during a global motorcycle tour, are currently on a hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin prison after their family communication was cut off. The experts highlighted grave procedural irregularities, including denied appeals and lack of fair trial guarantees. The case now reaches the Iranian Supreme Court amid concerns about political leverage and diplomatic leverage for environmental scientists and activists abroad.
UN special rapporteurs Dr Alice Edwards and Mai Sato have publicly demanded that Iranian authorities free Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a British couple sentenced to ten years in prison after being accused of espionage during a global motorcycle tour.
The pair, who travelled through Persia in early 2025, are now on hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin jail after their family phone contact was cut off in May.
The experts criticised “grave irregularities” in the proceedings, citing denied appeals, lack of fair‑trial guarantees and the potential use of the couple as political leverage by Iranian authorities.
The case has progressed to the Supreme Court and is watched closely by the UK’s Foreign Office, which urges all diplomatic avenues be pursued while the couple’s health deteriorates.
Following a failed appeal, the couple’s son, Joe Bennett, has called for a prisoner‑exchange framework that would include the release of foreign detainees, stressing that any broader diplomatic resolution must address individual human‑rights cases.
For further details, follow the BBC report here.
