Latest news with #Foremans
Washington Post
17-02-2025
- Washington Post
Family of British couple detained in Iran seek their return
The family of a British couple held in Iran while traveling the world on motorcycles are seeking their safe return, describing their detention as a 'distressing situation.' The couple, identified as Lindsay and Craig Foreman, are detained in southeastern Iran, according to a family statement shared by the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. 'This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and well-being during this trying time,' the family said in the statement Saturday, adding that they are working with the British government and 'relevant authorities' on the matter. Last week, Iranian state media released photographs of Britain's ambassador to Iran, Hugo Shorter, meeting with two British nationals described as being accused of 'security crimes.' The meeting took place in Kerman, a city more than 600 miles from Tehran, in the presence of a prosecutor and a security official, according to the IRNA state news agency. It did not name the couple and blurred their faces. It was not clear when and where the couple were detained. The FCDO did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Jan. 3, the couple wrote about a visit to a madrassa, or theological school, in the historic city of Isfahan in central Iran, on a Facebook page they were using to document their journey. 'Shared language, shared beliefs, and even the simplest gestures can bridge worlds and foster moments of unity,' the post said. Later, the couple posted a smiling selfie. Then they stopped posting. The couple, residing in Spain, were on a months-long journey on motorcycles crisscrossing western and southern Europe. They had planned to travel through Iran into South Asia and Southeast Asia before concluding their tour in Australia at the beginning of July. On social media, Lindsay described their journey as one of human connection, hope and discovering what makes life good. They shared stories about braving storms and stomach bugs, often posting smiling selfies along the way. In mid-December, the couple said on Facebook that they had been granted Iranian visas. 'We know traveling through Iran might raise eyebrows,' they wrote, adding praise for Iranian hospitality. At the end of December, the Foremans, who are in their 50s, appear to have entered Iran from Armenia. In a Facebook post, they described being nervous and mentioned warnings from the U.K. for British and dual nationals against traveling to Iran. On Jan. 3, they posted images of themselves at a verdant boulevard toasting cups of tea. 'To put your minds at rest, we are having the most amazing time in Iran,' the post said, adding that they were hoping to post more when they reached Pakistan the next day. In 2022, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was freed after six years in prison and house arrest in Iran. She was accused of plotting to overthrow the government — charges she denied. The release came after Britain settled a $524 million debt owed to Iran.
The Guardian
16-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK must act more promptly over latest Iran detentions, says Richard Ratcliffe
The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has called on ministers to act 'more promptly' than they did to help free his wife, after Iran detained a British couple on a motorcycle trip. Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife was freed in 2022 after five years in a Tehran prison, expressed fears that the couple would now face the 'brutal theatre' of court process to 'get the government's attention'. 'My heart goes out to them and I hope they are not in for a long ordeal, and that the government is able to respond more promptly than it did in our case,' said Ratcliffe, who went on hunger strike twice in a campaign for his wife's release. Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who are in their early 50s, were reportedly held in January after entering Iran for a five-day visit, part of a motorbike trip around the world. The family spoke of their concern at the 'distressing situation' facing the Foremans, who are being held in the southern city of Kerman. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual national, was transferred to Kerman after her initial arrest. The couple were heading for Australia, having crossed into Iran from Armenia on 30 December, according to social media posts. From Iran the couple had shared updates, including plans to enter Pakistan next. This week state media published photographs purportedly showing the UK ambassador to Iran, Hugo Shorter, meeting the couple, whom the country has called 'national security' suspects. The published photo shows that a meeting on Wednesday was held in the presence of a Kerman prosecutor, Mehdi Bakhshi, and the Kerman governor's deputy for security and law enforcement, Rahman Jalal. The latest post on the Foremans' Facebook page, from Isfahan in Iran on 3 January, includes selfies apparently showing the couple, with the caption: 'What a wonderful place.' The Foreign Office, which advises against all travel to Iran, has been approached for comment. The UK government advises that British and dual nationals are at significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention in Iran, and that a British passport or UK connections 'can be reason enough' to be detained by Iranian authorities. At least 66 foreign and dual nationals have been detained by Iran since 2010, according to research published by the University of Essex in 2022, as part of a growing practice of 'politically motivated arrests' that has been decried by Human Rights Watch. After the death in September 2022 of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin who had been arrested three days earlier for allegedly breaching the Islamic dress code for women, at least 40 foreign and dual nationals were arrested. Ratcliffe said of the Foremans: 'The top priority for the government should be to make sure they get to visit and that they are not being kept in solitary. It will be important they do not feel alone. A court process may soon come. It's not a real court. But it will be a form of brutal theatre to get the government's attention.' Mehran Raoof, a dual national and labour rights activist, has been in prison in Iran since 2020 facing national security-related charges.
