A British couple held in a notorious Iranian prison have spoken out for the first time about their horrific conditions, expressing fears of execution in a heartbreaking interview. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 53, from East Sussex, are 15 months into a 10-year sentence in Tehran's Evin Prison after being convicted of espionage in what their family calls a 'sham trial' on February 17, where they were denied legal defence.
The couple were arrested in January 2025 while on a motorcycle tour across the world, an adventure of a lifetime that turned into a nightmare. For months, their family had no contact and no proof of life. Since then, Lindsay's sons, Joe Bennett, 31, and Toby Rutland, 19, and Craig's children Kieran, 27, and Chelsea Foreman, 30, have campaigned tirelessly for their release.
Harrowing Conditions Inside Evin Prison
In a joint interview conducted over a prison payphone, Lindsay, a psychologist, described doing laps around the prison yard to stay sane. She is isolated in a cell where no one speaks English, and despite her mental health background, she breaks down in tears over the unfair treatment of inmates. 'I'm dealing with the realisation that we're likely to be here for a long time,' she said.
Craig, a carpenter, is held in a separate wing with other foreign nationals. He comforted Lindsay through the phone: 'We can do this. We will do this. We'll get through it together and, sometime, I hope soon, we will be on the other side of these walls. So stay strong, my love.'
Last week, the Mirror revealed that Craig urgently needs medical treatment for an untreated tooth abscess. He described frequent fights among inmates, who create handmade weapons, forcing him to stay out of the way of violence. When first arrested, they were questioned in Kerman and kept in solitary confinement, where Craig was blindfolded during extensive interrogations he calls 'horrific'.
Executions and Psychological Torture
Craig revealed that four of his cellmates have been executed during his time in Evin, led away under the false promise of a family visit and then killed. He learned of their deaths on prison television the day after each execution. According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), at least 22 people have been executed in Iran in the last six weeks, an extraordinary increase in the use of the death penalty as a political tool. Ten of those executed were detained during recent uprisings, and many families and lawyers were not informed beforehand.
Criminal psychologist Alex Iszatt told the Mirror that mental torture is being used as a weapon. 'For the family, the suddenness is also a psychological weapon, a power play by the state. It reinforces their complete lack of control while simultaneously signalling that the same fate could happen to others,' she said. 'This behaviour is a recognised tool of political terror, designed not only to break the individual's sense of self but to project power outward.'
International Response and Family Campaign
Iran has been accused of holding the couple as bargaining chips with the West. The Foreign Office called the case 'appalling' and advised against travel to Iran. Minister Hamish Falconer said in Parliament: 'This is a terrible case. It is absolutely obvious that they were innocent tourists. That is clear to all concerned. We have made that point repeatedly to the Iranian regime. We will continue to pursue this case. It is an injustice.'
Anoosheh Ashoori, a former Iranian hostage who spent nearly five years in Evin, described the 'unbearable' experience: 'The food was foul and sub-standard. The rooms were cramped, around 15 people per room, with constant infestations of bed bugs, cockroaches, and even rats. Sanitation was poor, medical care severely lacking. The regime created an environment of chronic pressure, what I call passive torture.'
Lindsay's son, Joe Bennett, has given up his normal life to campaign full-time. He told the Mirror it has been 'incredibly difficult' amid the US-Iran conflict. 'You are watching a conflict unfold, hearing reports of strikes near where your family is being held, and at the same time you are trying to stay composed and keep pushing for help. Every day matters when people you love are in that situation.'
A spokesperson for the FCDO said: 'Since Lindsay and Craig's arrest last year, Britain's Ambassador to Tehran, diplomats and officials in London have been working to provide consular assistance. This includes the ambassador visiting them in prison and facilitating calls with their family. The Foreign Secretary last met the family on 17 March. She set out to them personally how unjustified and appalling their incarceration continues to be. The UK Government continues work to safely return Craig and Lindsay to the UK.'
