Family feared for British couple detained in Iran after Evin prison bombing
The couple were initially held in a 3x3 metre cell in Kerman, southeastern Iran, for at least five months.
Their family endured a "month of torment" in June when the couple went missing, fearing they had been transferred to Tehran 's Evin prison, which was bombed by Israel on 23 June.
Despite the family's fears, the Iranian foreign ministry said on 8 July that the Foremans were still in Kerman, though the British Foreign Office has not yet had direct contact with them.
The family asserts the Foremans are "normal" individuals being held as political prisoners and are urging for their release, while the FCDO continues to provide consular assistance.
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The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘I must document everything': the film about the Palestinian photographer killed by missiles in Gaza
Israel has sought to pursue its campaign of annihilation against Gaza and its people behind closed doors. More than 170 Palestinian journalists have been killed so far, and no outside reporters or cameras are allowed in. The effects of this policy of concealment – which the Guardian managed to pierce this week with a shocking aerial photograph that made the front page – are to ensure that the outside world only catches sight of Gaza's horrors in small fragments, and to stifle empathy for those trapped inside by hiding them from view, obscuring their humanity. But a new documentary film, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, seeks to open a window to the unfathomable suffering inside Gaza. It focuses on the life of a single young Palestinian woman named Fatma Hassouna, known as Fatem to those close to her. She is 24 years old when we meet her, and has such a broad smile and enthusiasm for life that she compels attention from her first appearance, a few minutes into the film. We see Hassouna's life through the screen of a mobile phone belonging to the director, Sepideh Farsi, and most of the film is made up of the conversations between these two women as they develop an increasingly strong personal bond over the course of a year. The director knows all about conflict and oppression. Farsi is Iranian-born and was a teenager at the time of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. When she was 16 she was imprisoned by the Islamic Republic regime, and she left the country for good two years later, settling in France. She was on tour with her film The Siren, a feature-length animation about the Iran-Iraq war, when the Gaza conflict erupted in October 2023. As the civilian death toll mounted, she found herself unable just to sit on the sidelines, watching endless debates that did nothing to stop the slaughter. 'The common denominator was that there was never the Palestinian voice there,' Farsi says. 'We had different points of views: the American, the European, the Egyptian, the Israeli, but never the Palestinian. It started really bothering me, and at some point I couldn't live with it any more.' In spring last year she flew to Cairo with the idea that she could somehow find a way across the Gaza border to film the war firsthand. That quickly proved a naive and futile mission, so she began filming Gazan refugees in Egypt. One of them suggested to Farsi that if she wanted to talk to someone inside, he could put her in touch with his friend Fatma in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City. We first see Hassouna the way Farsi meets her, on her little phone screen, materialising with green hijab, big glasses and her broad white strip of a smile. They clearly delight in each other's presence from the outset. 'From the first call, I felt that she was someone very special, and that something clicked between the two of us immediately,' Farsi says. 'As soon as we connected, I would be smiling or laughing, and she was the same on her side.' There had been no guarantee the two would get along. Farsi is significantly older, with a daughter Hassouna's age, and she is a cosmopolitan, sophisticated woman who has travelled the world, while Hassouna has been restricted to Gaza all her life. Hassouna is devout while Farsi is profoundly sceptical of any religious talk and challenges her new young friend over what kind of god would allow innocent people to suffer so painfully. However there is far more that draws them together, in ways that are harder to define. 'She had this energy, this shining thing. She was solar,' Farsi says. 'That's the adjective that fits her. Her natural smile. There was this mutual fascination, sorority, comradeship – a mixture of all of these things – and we were happy as soon as we connected.' Farsi makes her phone a portal through which Hassouna recounts her story and the tragedy of Gaza. She talks about her family and introduces her shy brothers to Farsi. She has already made herself a photographer and poet by the time they meet, and Farsi coaches her into being a film-maker and to send out video of the ruination around her. Hassouna is supremely, naturally talented. Her pictures capture the everyday effort of her neighbours trying to survive in the rubble, while her use of language – in her poems and in conversation – is every bit as evocative. The film's title is taken from her passing description of what it is like to venture outside: 'Every second you go out in the street, you put your soul on your hands and walk.' In another conversation, struggling to make sense of what is happening, Hassouna asks: 'We live a very simple life, and they want to take this simple life from us. Why? I'm 24 and I don't have any of the things that I want. Because every time you reach what you want, there's a wall. They put up a wall.' The film should not work. It is determinedly rudimentary, filmed largely on one phone pointed at another. The image of Hassouna sometimes freezes and buffers as the internet connection ebbs and flows. But these glitches draw us in and make us experience the precariousness of their connection. 'That's why I decided to keep this low resolution and not to use a regular camera,' Farsi explains. 'I wanted it to be very low-key technically, to match the connection problems with her, to match the disparity of life here and there.' She had originally attempted a cleanly edited version with all the disconnections cut out. 'It was lacking soul. It didn't breathe. So we put it back in – this brokenness of image and sound.' The sweetness of the relationship at the core of the film is made bittersweet by the constant threat of death around Hassouna. Every so often she reports the death of relatives, or neighbours whose eviscerated homes she points to out of her window. It feels like the encircling darkness is in a direct struggle with Hassouna's smile and her instinctive optimism. Anyone who does not want to know which triumphs in the end should stop reading here. Towards the end of the film, Farsi calls Hassouna to give her the happy news that the film has been selected to be screened at Cannes. They excitedly talk about Farsi obtaining a French visa that might allow Hassouna to get out of Gaza temporarily to attend the festival. While they are talking, the young Palestinian sends the film-maker a photo of her passport. That was 14 April this year. The next day, a Tuesday, Farsi could not get through to Gaza to give Hassouna an update on preparations. 'So I said, 'OK, we'll do it on Wednesday,' the director recalls. 'On Wednesday, I was working on the film on my computer with my phone beside me, and all of a sudden I saw a photo pop up. I opened the notification and saw her photo with a caption saying she had been killed. I didn't believe it. I started calling her frantically, and then called a mutual friend, the one who introduced us, and he confirmed it was true.' In the middle of the night, two missiles fired by an Israeli drone had pierced the roof of her building and burrowed through before detonating, one of them exploding in the family's second floor apartment, the other just below. Fatma Hassouna was killed along with her three brothers and two sisters. Her father died later of his wounds leaving her mother, Lubna, as the sole survivor. The investigative group Forensic Architecture studied the missile strike and declared it a targeted strike aimed at Hassouna for her work as a journalist and witness. Farsi has no doubt. 'She was targeted by the IDF,' she says. 'There were two missiles dropped by a drone on her house. It means they found out where she was living, planned a drone with missiles to go through three storeys of that building and explode on the second floor. It's amazingly well planned in order to eliminate somebody who just does photography. 'I still can't believe it,' Farsi says, speaking from Bogotá, where she is touring with the film, which is now Hassouna's legacy. 'It's three months now, a bit more, and it's still quite unbelievable. For me, she is somewhere out there and I believe I will meet her someday.' In their conversations, Hassouna talked about all the places in the world she dreamed of seeing, while insisting she would always return home to Gaza. Shortly before she died, she told Farsi: 'I have the idea that I must keep going and I must document everything, to be part of this story, to be me!' She imagined passing on her experiences to her children, but instead they have been captured for a cinematic audience, and Hassouna's arresting personality has been preserved at the same time, a portrait of a unique individual among the 60,000 dead. Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk is in UK and Irish cinemas from 22 August. Tickets at
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Family of Palestinian American who died after Israeli settler attack calls for US intervention
The family of Khamis al-Ayyad, a Palestinian American who died last week as a result of an Israeli settler attack in the occupied West Bank, has called for an investigation into his death, amid a rising number of US citizens killed in the territory. Ayyad, a 40-year-old father of five and Chicago resident, died from smoke inhalation on Thursday after Israeli settlers attacked the town of Silwad, outside Ramallah, setting homes and cars on fire. Ayyad fainted while trying to put out the fires, his brother said, and died on the way to the hospital. He was the latest in a string of Palestinian Americans to have died in the West Bank: five US citizens have been killed there since 7 October 2023, and Ayyad was the second to die in July alone. So far, no one has been held accountable for any of the deaths. 'The government should protect citizens, this is what is written on the American passport. Why do they do nothing when it comes to their own citizens who live in the West Bank?' said Ayyad's brother, Anas al-Ayyad, 39. Anas al-Ayyad said that he had contacted the US embassy, who promised him they would look into his brother's death. In a statement to the Guardian, a spokesperson for the US state department acknowledged the death of a US citizen in Silwad and said they were providing consular assistance to the family. Members of the US House and Senate called for the Trump administration to pressure Israel to carry out an investigation and ensure accountability for the death of Ayyad and the other Americans killed by settlers in the West Bank. 'We are witnessing the deadly results of a pattern of complicity by the Netanyahu government and indifference from the US government. It's clear that we must reinstate sanctions and demand justice – including independent, US-led investigations – in the killings of American citizens,' Democratic senator of Maryland Chris Van Hollen told the Guardian. The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair), and Illinois congressman Chuy Garcia, also demanded an investigation into Ayyad's killing. The killings come amid a wave of violence in the West Bank, where at least 1,013 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers since 7 October 2023. Accountability for settlers who commit acts of violence against Palestinians is rare, particularly under Israel's current rightwing government. Last week, a famed Palestinian activist, Awdah Hathaleen, who helped make the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was shot to death during a settler attack south of Hebron. Sanctions had previously been put on the accused killer, Yinon Levy, by US president Joe Biden but they were later lifted by Donald Trump. Levy was placed under three days of house arrest and then later released, though he still might face charges. A video showed him working in the same spot where Hathaleen was shot the day after his release. Senator Van Hollen said that Trump's administration repeal of US sanctions against Israeli settlers has 'sent a message that violent settlers can literally get away with murder'. The attack on Silwad was carried out around 2.30 in the morning by about 10 Israeli settlers. People rushed outside to try to put out the fires in the houses and cars that were set alight by settlers, but were met with teargas shot by the Israeli army, Raed Hamed, the mayor of Silwad said. 'This is not the first attack by the settlers. The settlers want to send a message: There is no safe place for Palestinians to live,' said Hamed. The Israeli military acknowledged the attack, but said they were unable to identify the suspects. Israeli police said it had launched an investigation into the incident. US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called for an investigation into the killing of 20-year-old Sayfollah 'Saif' Musallet, who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers earlier in July. He also visited the town of Taybeh in mid-July, a community with many US citizens that had recently witnessed Israeli attacks against its churches. Ayyad's family say they want action from the government, not just words. 'If it wasn't for those settlers attacking us in the middle of the night, my brother would not have died. The United States should take solid action to defend its citizens against attacks by anyone,' said Anas.
Sky News
5 hours ago
- Sky News
British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman make first call home since being detained in Iran
A British couple detained in Iran have spoken to their family for the first time in seven months. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, were detained in January while on a motorcycle tour around the world and were later charged with espionage. The pair deny the allegations. Speaking to Sky News, the couple's son said the eight-minute phone call gave him a "massive, overwhelming feeling of relief". Joe Bennett said: "They seemed to be pretty good mentally. And they say that they're being looked after as well as possible and making the best of the conditions. "We laughed, we cried. You know, we talked about how things were happening and how they got to where they are." Mr Bennett said when he saw the phone ring, he "got nervous" as he had not spoken to his mother for quite some time. He added: "But as soon as we started speaking to one another, the reconnection that we'd lost along the way was there again." Mr Bennett said he was able to ascertain from the short call on Tuesday that his parents had been transferred by plane a week ago from Kerman to Tehran. He described the situation as "seven long, long months", but said the call was "reassuring". Mr Bennett added: "And now it just kind of gives us the energy to kick on and get them home." The family believe the couple were held together when in Kerman, but reports have since suggested the pair are being detained in separate prisons. Mr Bennett urged the Iranians to "continue to show compassion" as he called for regular consular access and further phone calls to ensure "their welfare is maintained". He added: "The phone call that we received from them was such a boost for us as a family and it would have been a huge, huge boost for the two of them to have heard their family voices for the first time in seven months. "We're going to keep fighting. We've got to keep pushing to make sure that we get them home as soon as humanly possible." The Iranian Embassy said it "remains committed" to providing consular access to Mr and Mrs Foreman and will "continue to cooperate" with the British Embassy in Tehran. The couple's transfer was said to have been carried out with the consent of the British Embassy. A spokesperson for the Iranian Embassy added: "The case of these two individuals is proceeding through its judicial and legal stages in accordance with the domestic laws and regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran and after the completion of normal procedures, the judicial hearings related to the case will be held." Mr Bennett said a lack of timeline in regard to any potential court action was "deeply worrying". He explained that while the phone call sparked a feeling of "happiness and joy", the reality is that both Mr and Mrs Foreman remain incarcerated. Mr Bennett added: "And they've still be detained for far, far longer than they should have been. So, we just need to keep on making sure that we're doing everything we can to get them home as soon as possible." The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises British and British-Iranian nationals, who are at significant risk of detention, not to travel to the Middle Eastern country. A spokesperson said: "We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran.
