British couple lose Iran jail sentence appeal, family says
Lindsay and Craig Foreman have lost their appeal against 10-year jail terms in Iran, their family says. The couple remain on hunger strike in Evin prison.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
The family of Lindsay and Craig Foreman says an appeal against their Iran jail sentences has been rejected, with no reason given. The couple, detained in Tehran since January 2025 on espionage charges they deny, are now on hunger strike and have had limited contact with relatives.
Two British travelers are stuck in an Iranian prison after being accused of spying, which they deny. Their family says they lost a court appeal, like losing another chance to open a locked door, and now they are refusing food to protest.
Analysis
What happened
According to the family, Lindsay and Craig Foreman have lost their appeal against 10-year sentences handed down in Iran after their arrest in January 2025. They were travelling through the country on a round-the-world motorcycle trip when they were detained and later accused of spying, which they deny.
Why the appeal matters
The family says they were not allowed to attend the hearing, and their legal team in the UK says no reason was given for the rejection. That leaves the case in the hands of Iran’s Supreme Court, although the family says the next steps and timeline are unclear.
Conditions in prison
The couple are being held in Tehran’s Evin prison and have started hunger strikes. Their family says Craig Foreman has gone without food for 25 days, while Lindsay Foreman briefly resumed eating but is now on day 16 of her protest. Relatives say they are getting only fragmentary updates through other prisoners’ families and that communications with the couple have been cut off.
British response
The Foreign Office says it is disappointed by the appeal outcome and will keep working to secure their return to the UK. It has also repeated its warning that British citizens can be detained by Iranian authorities because of their UK links.
Wider context
Rights lawyer Haydee Dijkstal described the couple as innocent tourists who have been arbitrarily detained and repeatedly denied basic rights. Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was held in Iran for nearly six years, said the appeal failure could be a signal from Tehran to London. The case now looks set to remain a test of whether diplomacy can improve the couple’s treatment and eventually bring them home.
Key points
- The family says Lindsay and Craig Foreman lost their appeal against 10-year Iran jail sentences.
- They were arrested in January 2025 while crossing Iran on a motorcycle trip and deny spying.
- Their family says they were not allowed to attend the appeal hearing and were asked to sign Farsi documents they could not read.
- Both are on hunger strike in Evin prison, and contact with family has been cut off.
- The UK Foreign Office says it is disappointed and will keep working for their safe return.
If the Supreme Court review leads to a better outcome, the couple could get a chance to challenge the case more effectively. Continued British consular pressure could also improve their prison conditions and help restore contact with family.
If the rejection stands, the couple may remain detained for a long time with little clarity about release. Their hunger strikes could also worsen their health if no breakthrough comes soon.
