A British woman jailed in Iran on alleged espionage charges is now on a drip, with her family fearing for her health as she faces another court hearing today (Saturday).
Lindsay Foreman and her husband Craig, both 52, were arrested in Kerman, southern Iran, on January 3 while on an international motorcycle trip to Australia.
The couple, from East Sussex, had recently left Armenia and were travelling through Iran towards Pakistan when they were detained by police and charged with espionage — accusations their family fiercely deny.
Relatives say the pair are enduring “worse than poor” prison conditions which have badly damaged their health. The couple have been separated, with Mrs Foreman sent to Qarchak women’s prison near Tehran — a notorious jail described by human rights groups as a “hellhole.”
Her son, Joe Bennett, from Folkestone, Kent, said she is now on a drip in the cell she shares with 70 other women, but he has no details on her condition. He described how inmates face unbearable heat, frequent blackouts and poor food, with his mother forced to sleep on a metal bunk without a mattress.
Mr Foreman has reportedly been moved to Tehran’s Evin prison, where British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was held for nearly six years.
Mr Bennett told The Times: “My mum, we’ve heard most recently, is on a drip. We don’t know why. There are worries medically … they are strong-spirited and they’re coping, but I don’t want that to be normalised. They are in tough, tough environments. It is taking its toll on their bodies. They’re not young. They are resilient.
“Craig’s complaining about his stomach and ongoing illnesses and he’s got an abscess in his tooth so he’s complaining about dental care. It’s harrowing.”
The couple last appeared in separate court hearings three weeks ago and are due in court again today, though the family have been given no further details.
Mr Bennett said: “We’re just trying to keep positive.”
The family drew hope from the recent return of another British couple, Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who were released last week after being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for eight months.
Mr Bennett has been campaigning for his mother and stepfather’s release and is due to meet Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on October 16. The family also met with Iranian ambassador Hugo Shorter last week, who had recently visited the couple in prison to deliver essential supplies.
Before that visit, Mr Foreman had not been seen by anyone outside Iranian authorities for more than three months.
The couple are understood to have been granted permission to see each other once a week following their latest hearing. Although this has not yet happened, they have been allowed phone calls.
