A British woman detained in Iran has described life inside Tehran’s Evin prison as “an endurance test for the mind”, speaking to the BBC just hours before she and her husband were sentenced to 10 years on espionage charges.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a couple from Sussex in their 50s, were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran as part of a round-the-world motorcycle journey. They deny the allegations against them.
In a rare and crackling telephone interview broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Lindsay spoke candidly about the toll prison life has taken on her physical and mental wellbeing.
“I’ve resigned myself to the fact that my physical health might not be what it was when I came in but I can regain it when I leave,” she said.
She described exercising by running “in circles” in a small prison yard, adding that it was “incredibly hard to remain positive” but that she was taking things “one day at a time”.
The couple were detained on 3 January despite holding Iranian visas, travelling with a guide and following an approved itinerary. They had crossed into Iran from Armenia and were due to continue to Pakistan.
Speaking shortly before the sentence was handed down by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, Lindsay said she and her husband had written to Iranian authorities in what she called a “desperate attempt” to seek justice.
“We have done what we can to be respectful of their system, to be patient with the legal process and believing that our innocence will prevail but it doesn’t seem to be the case,” she said.
She added that they wished to “exercise their right to be heard” and demonstrate that what was happening to them was “unfair and unjust”.
“Even in your own system, your own judicial system, you’re in violation of the laws,” she said.
The couple have not spoken publicly since the sentencing. Lindsay’s son, Joe Bennett, described the decision as “gut-wrenching” and said no evidence of espionage had ever been presented.
He called on the UK government to “act decisively and use every available avenue” to secure their release, adding that the family felt “abandoned” and that letters sent to senior ministers had gone unanswered.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the verdict as “completely appalling and totally unjustifiable”.
“We will pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian government until we see Craig and Lindsay Foreman safely returned to the UK and reunited with their family,” she said.
“In the meantime, their welfare is our priority and we will continue to provide consular assistance to them and their families.”
The Foremans are being held in separate wings of Evin prison, a facility long criticised by human rights groups over alleged torture and inhumane conditions. It houses journalists, political detainees and foreign nationals.
Bennett previously described conditions as “dire”, saying his parents were surrounded by “dirt, vermin and violence”.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly alleged that foreign nationals are sometimes detained in Iran as diplomatic leverage. The BBC has previously been told that the couple may be being used as bargaining chips.
The UK Foreign Office has long advised against all travel to Iran, warning that British and dual nationals are at heightened risk of detention.
Lindsay acknowledged that she and her husband had checked official travel advice before entering the country.
“I put my hand up and take responsibility for being here,” she said.
Iran has detained dozens of foreign and dual nationals in recent years, often on national security charges. British-Iranian citizens Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released in 2022 after the UK resolved a long-standing financial dispute with Tehran.
As diplomatic efforts intensify, the case of Lindsay and Craig Foreman adds to growing concerns over the treatment of British nationals detained abroad and the complex geopolitical tensions surrounding such arrests.