Latest news with #Kerman
The Independent
09-07-2025
- The Independent
Family feared for British couple detained in Iran after Evin prison bombing
British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman were detained and charged with espionage in Iran earlier this year while on a round-the-world motorcycle trip. 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.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
British couple detained in Iran vanished for weeks amid fears they were in Israel-bombed prison
The family of a British couple detained in Iran feared they were in one of the country's most notorious prisons when it was bombed by Israel – and are still yet to hear from them weeks later despite assurances from Tehran that they are alive. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, 53 and 52, were arrested and charged with espionage in Iran earlier this year after setting off on a 'dream' round-the-world motorcycle trip in August. The pair were forced to sleep on the floor of a 3x3 metre cell in Kerman, southeastern Iran, for at least five months on a diet of rice and fruit. Their family was told they were set to move to Tehran 's sprawling Evin prison complex, which held thousands of inmates, on 8 June, but it emerged four days later the transfer was delayed due to a paperwork issue. On 13 June, Israel launched a devastating 12-day airstrike campaign against Iran, including an attack on 23 June that destroyed the prison and killed 79 people. The couple were unreachable throughout this period as their family was put through a 'month of torment'. They say the UK Foreign Office did not know where they were. It was only on 8 July that Iranian officials said they were in Kerman. The British Foreign Office has still not reached them. Mrs Foreman's son Joe Bennett, 31, told The Independent: 'The place they had been potentially transferred was being bombed and we didn't know until today [8 July] they were okay. 'They are just a normal mum and dad being held as political prisoners and they need to come home.' On their way to Australia, Mrs Foreman, a life coach with a doctorate in psychology, was carrying out a research project asking people what constituted a 'good life'. On 30 December, Mrs Foreman posted a map of Iran, saying they were about to face 'one of the most challenging — and, let's be honest, slightly scary — sections of our journey: Iran and Pakistan '. The next day, she crossed into Iran from Armenia with her husband Craig, a carpenter, and planned to reach Pakistan by 4 January, despite 'the advice of friends, family and the Foreign Office'. They travelled through the cities of Tabriz, Tehran and Isfahan with a tour guide and visa but never checked into their hotel in Kerman. Mrs Foreman's last social media post on 3 January was a picture of her meeting a 'kind and thoughtful mullah' in Isfahan, central Iran. On 13 February, Iranian state media published a photo of them alongside British ambassador Hugo Shorter announcing they had been charged with espionage. Since then, the couple have been visited three times by British consular officials, most recently on 12 May. At around this time, Mrs Foreman was not walking properly and had a bad back, her son said. He added: 'I cannot imagine what they are going through. The anxiety and hopelessness, being left in the dark. It is hard to think about. 'It cannot go on for years. We need action. They are not spies. It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime but it has turned into a nightmare.' Iran has previously held British citizens for years on vague security charges. In 2022, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released after spending six and five years in Iranian prisons. They were both held in Evin prison, one of the country's most visible symbols of authoritarian rule for over 40 years. Dissidents, foreign journalists, academics and diplomats have all been held there. Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian was held there for nearly a year and a half and claimed guards repeatedly threatened him with execution. A FCDO spokesperson told The Independent: 'We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran. We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities. 'We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.'
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inside Iran: Behnaz Mahjoubi arrested without cause as executions and paranoia grip Iran
Crackdowns are in force throughout Iran, with Revolutionary Guards on an all-out hunt for dissidents A wave of arrests is in full force in Iran, with the Islamic Republic arresting hundreds of people suspected of spying for Israel. On Saturday, the sister of a prominent protester who died in an Iranian prison was arrested in the southeastern province of Kerman. According to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a nonprofit promoting the rights of Iran's Kurdish community, plainclothes agents detained Behnaz Mahjoubi at her workplace in Kerman without presenting her an arrest warrant. Behnaz Mahjoubi's brother, Behnam Mahjoubi, was arrested in 2018 and died in prison in 2021. His arrest followed a government crackdown that year on protesters from the Gonabadi Dervishes, a Sufi minority. Five protesters were reportedly killed during the demonstrations, scores were injured, and hundreds were arrested. Iranian sources told The Media Line that Behnaz spoke publicly about her brother's plight following his death, although she hasn't spoken out recently. According to Iman Forouton, chair of the anti-regime New Iran organization and the SOS Iran activist network, the Islamic Republic has become paranoid in the wake of the war and is rounding up anyone related to those who protested in the past, particularly those whose family members were killed by the state. Former Iranian political prisoner Shabnam Madadzadeh shared a video on social media of Behnaz's mother, Batoul Hosseini, speaking out about her daughter's abduction. 'Behnaz suffers from a heart condition. The Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC will be held fully responsible for anything that happens to her,' Hosseini said. Forouton told The Media Line that members of theBaháʼí faith, Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority, are also being arrested. The Islamic Republic judiciary signed off on the execution of three Iranian men this week, convicting them of espionage on behalf of Mossad's intelligence agency. According to the Iranian Students' New Agency (ISNA), which is affiliated with the Islamic Republic, the men were convicted of espionage on behalf of Israel. Hundreds of others were arrested during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. Dissidents, opposition leaders, journalists, writers are all being detained, as the country is grappling with an unprecedented threat to the regime's grip on power. According to Iran International, a Washington-based news network critical of the regime, a journalist was arrested last week over his war coverage. In the days since Israeli bombs stopped falling on Iran, state security guards have emerged from hiding. A massive crackdown is in force, with checkpoints popping up throughout the country. One of the activists involved in Forouton's SOS Iran resistance network told The Media Line that guards in Iran have set up checkpoints every kilometer or two to check cars and buses. Citing leaked intelligence documents, The Times reported last week that the Mossad had been present in Iran since 2010, familiarizing themselves with the nuclear program and infiltrating sites including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters and the Sanjarian nuclear site. The accomplishments achieved by Israel earlier this week—taking out key regime officials and nuclear scientists and severely damaging nuclear program infrastructure—may have taken place over 12 days, but they resulted from a decade and a half of boots on the ground. The chief of the Mossad said last week that the intelligence service will continue to operate in Iran. "We will be there, just as we have been there until now," Mossad chief David Barnea said. On Thursday, the Mossad's Farsi-language social media posted a message to the Iranian people: 'A ceasefire has been implemented. Now, the extent of the damage is becoming clear.' The post noted that the Mossad had established a team of Farsi-speaking doctors who were available to support civilians. The next day, the page added another post: 'Dear Iranian citizens, you know that we will do our utmost to ensure no harm comes to you. Our fight is with the oppressive Islamic Republic regime.' It warned civilians to stay away from the members of the Revolutionary Guards, security personnel, bases, and regime vehicles and to avoid answering unknown calls or texts. Internet access in Iran has been reinstated after being cut off during the war. The SOS Iran activist who spoke to The Media Line said that the Islamic Regime has been indiscriminately sending texts to everyone with warnings to the public and threats that they are being watched. On June 25, Iran's judiciary together with the Intelligence Ministry announced changes to its espionage law, as was previously reported by The Media Line. A new committee was formed to monitor civilians' online activity. He said that the Morality Police have resumed stopping the public and checking civilians' phones. One acquaintance in Iran told the activist to stop texting him and that he was going to change his SIM card. Directives have also reportedly been given to the public to weed out the Mossad agents or accomplices. Iranians have been told to report on neighbors whose houses are regularly visited by strange men, who have large piles of garbage outside their homes, who mostly keep their curtains closed. This is a developing story.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The view from Iran: ‘People have returned to Tehran, although the bombing hasn't stopped'
The internet in Iran was down for a full three days [at the end of last week], and there was no way to communicate with others. This outage has added to people's fear and anxiety, as we no longer knew which cities had been bombed or which areas were under evacuation orders. If the internet outage continues, many jobs will be lost. The government has arrested [scores of] people on charges of espionage and collaborating with Israel, [people fear that the regime] is planning to execute them. Just today on the national television news, arrests and executions were announced. It's frightening – because even if, hypothetically, these individuals were spies, a fair trial should take weeks to prove such a charge. The government has deployed police patrols and checkpoints at entrances of [various] cities and main streets, [according to] friends and relatives of mine who live in different cities. I see them every day in Kerman. They are even randomly confiscating mobile phones in the city, searching cars both when entering and leaving the city, and also on the main streets during normal traffic. It hasn't happened to me yet. It seems that the United States has also joined the war. People are worried about the risk of radioactive contamination [as nuclear facilities are being bombed]. We are very afraid that Iran might respond to the US attack, and that the situation could get worse. We are also worried about a possible strike on the Bushehr [nuclear power plant] facility, [that] this could lead to another Chernobyl. A large number of people have returned to Tehran, although the bombing there hasn't stopped. People were forced to come back to the city. Many of my friends also returned because they have to work, otherwise they won't have any income. And many people don't have a place to stay outside of Tehran for many weeks. There are gasoline shortages, and even in safer cities such as Kerman, many businesses have partially shut down. Everything is semi-closed. Online businesses, tourism-related jobs, and travel agencies are shut down. The postal service is closed, which has led to the closure of online shops as well. University exams and the national university entrance exam have been cancelled. However, government offices and banks remain open. Many private companies have not paid salaries, and it's unclear when they will. I myself haven't received my monthly salary either. My company announced that due to the wartime situation, they are currently unable to process salary payments. The same goes for my husband, as production in his factory has completely halted. I have some savings, but if the war continues and salaries remain unpaid, my savings will run out in at most two or three weeks. This is the case for most people. Due to high inflation, it's very difficult for us in Iran to save much money. In smaller towns like Kerman, Yazd, or Rafsanjan, food supplies are still available, although prices are rising sharply. However, in Tehran and other major cities, there is now a significant shortage of bread, fruit, eggs, and other essential food items. [I don't know anybody who has tried leaving the country] – not yet. People are still in shock and believe that this war will end soon. It's probably a psychological defence mechanism. Many believe the war will end once most major military sites have been bombed. One of my friends, who is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, has run into serious trouble. The medications for her chemotherapy used to be sent from Tehran every day, but now it is no longer possible to deliver them. With each passing day, situations like these are getting worse.
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Fears in Iran: ‘We are very afraid the regime might respond to the US attack'
The internet in Iran was down for a full three days [at the end of last week], and there was no way to communicate with others. This outage has added to people's fear and anxiety, as we no longer knew which cities had been bombed or which areas were under evacuation orders. If the internet outage continues, many jobs will be lost. The government has arrested [scores of] people on charges of espionage and collaborating with Israel, [people fear that the regime] is planning to execute them. Just today on the national television news, arrests and executions were announced. It's frightening – because even if, hypothetically, these individuals were spies, a fair trial should take weeks to prove such a charge. The government has deployed police patrols and checkpoints at entrances of [various] cities and main streets, [according to] friends and relatives of mine who live in different cities. I see them every day in Kerman. They are even randomly confiscating mobile phones in the city, searching cars both when entering and leaving the city, and also on the main streets during normal traffic. It hasn't happened to me yet. It seems that the United States has also joined the war. People are worried about the risk of radioactive contamination [as nuclear facilities are being bombed]. We are very afraid that Iran might respond to the US attack, and that the situation could get worse. We are also worried about a possible strike on the Bushehr [nuclear power plant] facility, [that] this could lead to another Chernobyl. A large number of people have returned to Tehran, although the bombing there hasn't stopped. People were forced to come back to the city. Many of my friends also returned because they have to work, otherwise they won't have any income. And many people don't have a place to stay outside of Tehran for many weeks. There are gasoline shortages, and even in safer cities such as Kerman, many businesses have partially shut down. Everything is semi-closed. Online businesses, tourism-related jobs, and travel agencies are shut down. The postal service is closed, which has led to the closure of online shops as well. University exams and the national university entrance exam have been cancelled. However, government offices and banks remain open. Many private companies have not paid salaries, and it's unclear when they will. I myself haven't received my monthly salary either. My company announced that due to the wartime situation, they are currently unable to process salary payments. The same goes for my husband, as production in his factory has completely halted. I have some savings, but if the war continues and salaries remain unpaid, my savings will run out in at most two or three weeks. This is the case for most people. Due to high inflation, it's very difficult for us in Iran to save much money. In smaller towns like Kerman, Yazd, or Rafsanjan, food supplies are still available, although prices are rising sharply. However, in Tehran and other major cities, there is now a significant shortage of bread, fruit, eggs, and other essential food items. [I don't know anybody who has tried leaving the country] – not yet. People are still in shock and believe that this war will end soon. It's probably a psychological defence mechanism. Many believe the war will end once most major military sites have been bombed. One of my friends, who is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, has run into serious trouble. The medications for her chemotherapy used to be sent from Tehran every day, but now it is no longer possible to deliver them. With each passing day, situations like these are getting worse.
