Lindsay and Craig Foreman have lost their appeal against a 10-year prison sentence in Iran, their family said, leaving the British couple in Tehran’s Evin prison with their punishment still in place. Joe Bennett, speaking for the family, said they were not permitted to attend their own appeal hearing and are now facing the case from behind bars.
The rejection matters because both have already gone on hunger strike: Craig Foreman has been refusing food for 25 days, while Lindsay Foreman is on day 16. The couple were detained in Iran in 2025, arrested in January while passing through the country on a round-the-world motorcycle trip, and later sentenced in February after being accused of spying — charges they deny.
Bennett said the family had been told the appeal had failed, but no reason was given for the decision. The Foreign Office said it was disappointed and would keep working to ensure the pair are returned safely to the UK. Their legal team in Britain has described them as arbitrarily detained, and Haydee Dijkstal said they are innocent tourists whose fundamental rights have been severely and consistently violated throughout their detention.
The family’s concern has also sharpened because contact has been so limited. The couple have been prevented from calling relatives in the UK since they gave an interview to the more than a month ago, and their last consular visit was in December. Bennett said the situation left the family with no good options and called it a serious human rights violation, adding that the hunger strike is a protest by two British citizens who believe they have been left without recourse.
The case has now been passed to Iran’s Supreme Court, Bennett said, but there is no public indication of when it will be heard or whether the rejected appeal will be revisited. For now, the detention of Craig and Lindsay Foreman is unchanged, their sentence stands, and the next step in their fight for release is still out of view.
