‘My parents’ hostage nightmare never ends’

The son of a British couple detained in Iran has urged the UK government to try to secure their release before Christmas.

Joe Bennett’s parents, Craig and Lindsay Foreman, were on a “one-in-a-lifetime” trip around the world when they were arrested by Iranian authorities in January.

They have been charged with spying, though the BBC was previously told the East Sussex couple were being used as “bargaining chips” between Iran’s government and the West.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) has been approached for comment.

The FCDO previously told the BBC it continued to raise the case of Mr and Ms Foreman directly with the Iranian authorities.

A spokesperson said: “The FCDO are providing [Mr and Ms Foreman] with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.”

Iran’s foreign ministry has also been contacted.

Mr Bennett, from Folkestone in Kent, said his parents were losing a year of their lives while “governments calculate their next move”.

He continued: “This can’t be normalised. Silence is complicity.

“My family can’t carry on like this.”

Mr and Ms Foreman’s loved ones, who deny the charges against them, say they entered Iran with valid visas, a licensed guide and a pre-approved itinerary – as rules there stipulate.

Both are currently in the notorious Evin Prison, where political opponents of Iran’s deeply unpopular regime are typically detained.

Torture, violence, solitary confinement and execution threats have been documented at the facility, which was hit by Israeli strikes earlier in the year.

The family have said Ms Foreman is isolated and surrounded by people who do not speak English, while her husband is “battling an untreated tooth abscess and enduring harsh conditions”.

Mr Bennett said: “I’ve spoken to my mum twice in eleven months.

“Every day is a waiting game, not knowing if she’s okay, or if my stepdad’s pain has worsened.

“It’s a nightmare that never ends.”

Mr Bennett urged the government to “step up and act decisively” before his parents faced the “bleak milestone” of a year in custody.

Iran recently released two French nationals who were detained there during a tourist trip more than three years ago.

“The French didn’t wait, their president spoke up and their citizens came home,” said Mr Bennett. “Why hasn’t Britain done the same?

“Every day that passes is another day of suffering.

“We need to bring them home, that’s what diplomacy should mean.”

Mr and Ms Foreman, both in their 50s, were allowed their first phone calls home in August after several months of no direct contact.

The family, meanwhile, said earlier they lacked access to clean drinking water and the money needed to buy essentials like toilet paper.

They have called on the FCDO to secure a “clear commitment” from Iranian officials for regular communication and ensure their medical care and safety while detained.

The family also wants the UK government to publicly call for their release and set out a plan to bring them home.

“We’ll blink and it will be Christmas,” Mr Bennett said. “Then it’ll be a full year. I can’t accept that.

“We need the courage of the British public, and the conviction of our leaders, to end this now.”