A campaign and petition calling on the Government to do more to secure the release of a former Forest Row couple from an Iranian jail has been launched by the couple’s family.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman were on a motorcycle tour around the world earlier this year when they were detained in Iran. They have been charged with security-related offences. It has only been in the last few days that the family have been allowed their first phone call with the couple.
Their eldest son, Joe Bennett, said his parents were “just ordinary people caught up in something deeply unjust” and is demanding more action from the Government to act “decisively and with urgency”.
The Foremans were detained in January while on a motorcycle tour around the world. The couple were ultimately heading for Australia, having crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30. Iran claims the couple “collected information” throughout the country under the guise of being tourists.
Mrs Foreman was reportedly conducting a research project during the journey, asking people what makes a “good life”, and had planned to present her findings at a positive psychology conference in Brisbane in July.
The Foremans, both 52, had previously split their time between Forest Row and Spain. Craig is a carpenter, and on her LinkedIn account Dr Lindsay Foreman describes herself as an Executive Group Coach, Facilitator, and Corporate Consultant.
Back in 2022, the Forest Row couple featured on Channel 4s programme “A New Life in the Sun” as they looked to relocate to Spain. At the time Lindsay said: “As beautiful and wonderful as Forest Row was, the British pace of life and weather can sometimes get in the way of living a life that truly makes you bounce out of bed in the mornings to another beautiful day.”
While the imprisonment of his parents has been bad enough, the Israel and US strikes against Iran brought even more anxiety. Joe feared they might have been held in the notorious Iranian prison targeted by the strikes.
“Yesterday we received word,” Joe said on Wednesday. A brief message. And with it, a flood of emotion – relief, yes, but also heartbreak. Because even with that message, so many of our fears remain.”
In a statement, Joe spoke of the family’s anxieties during this period: “The family have just spent a horrific month with no information about their whereabouts or their wellbeing. Our parents are not criminals. They are not political players. They’re two ordinary people who have been caught up in something deeply unjust. For more than six months we have put our trust in the Foreign Office to make progress, ensure their safety and wellbeing.”
But there has also been some better news in the past couple of days. Joe told the BBC he had an eight-minute call with his mother. He said: “We laughed, we cried, and for a few brief moments, it felt like the weight of the past seven months lifted.”
He said he felt his parents were “holding strong”, adding that “they’re resilient, they’re positive, and somehow, they’re still smiling”. The couple have been separated, are being held in different prisons and have access to basic resources, according to Mr Bennett.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises British and British-Iranian nationals, who are at significant risk of detention, not to travel to the Middle Eastern country. A spokesperson said it was “deeply concerned” at Iran’s espionage allegations and that it continues to raise the case “directly with the Iranian authorities”.
“We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members,” she added.
The Free Lindsay and Craig campaign is asking the public to support their efforts by signing a petition, writing to their MP and sharing the story on social media.
To sign the petition visit: Craig and Lindsay petition