The son of a British couple imprisoned in Iran for the past year has delivered a petition to Downing Street, urging the UK government to intensify efforts to secure their freedom.
A Year in Notorious Evin Prison
It has now been twelve months since Lindsay and Craig Foreman from East Sussex were taken into custody during a global motorcycle tour. The pair were later charged with espionage, allegations they vehemently deny. They are currently being held in Tehran's infamous Evin prison.
On the anniversary of their detention, Ms Foreman's son, Joe Bennett, was joined by former detainee Anoosheh Ashoori and campaigner Richard Ratcliffe at the steps of Number 10. They delivered a petition bearing 70,000 signatures calling for more decisive government intervention.
"It is the year anniversary of them being taken which is not something we want to celebrate but we are here to make sure there is as much publicity and pressure we can get," Mr Bennett, from Folkestone, Kent, told the Press Association.
Family's Plea for Public Acknowledgement
Mr Bennett stressed the deteriorating condition of his parents and the urgent need for the government to publicly defend them. "Ultimately, I need to know they (the Government) are working as hard as they can to get them home – that is what I need and what we all want," he said.
He argued that the volume of signatures shows a public belief that this is an "arbitrary detention". The family wants ministers to openly state that the charges are baseless. "They need to come out and defend their citizens – that is what we want," Bennett stated. "We want public acknowledgement that it is completely barbaric they are being held on these charges of espionage, that they are not spies for the British state."
He described the daily toll on his parents' wellbeing: "Every day is a day that chisels away at their mental and physical health." While they maintain contact, the couple shield their family from the worst of their ordeal. "When you hear her down, dejected, crying and begging to come home – it is hard to take," Bennett said of his mother.
Uncertainty Amidst Iranian Unrest
The hand-in took place against a backdrop of renewed protests and violence in Iran, sparked by economic woes. The situation adds a layer of anxiety for the family. Mr Bennett described it as a "worrying situation", adding, "we don't know if it is a good thing or a bad thing – that is the problem."
He revealed he is advising his parents to prepare for various scenarios, including the potential fall of the regime and a chaotic release from Evin. Questions about securing help from an embassy or reaching a border in such an event remain frighteningly unanswered.
A simultaneous rally was held in Whitehall in solidarity with protesters in Iran, organised by the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women in the UK. The group is calling on the British Government to publicly demand an end to the crackdown on demonstrators and to executions in the country.
