UN experts demand Iranians free Foremans

They said proceedings against Lindsay and Craig Foreman had been marked by grave irregularities. UN experts demand Iranians free British hostage couple Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. They were sentenced in February and have lost an appeal A couple on a beach. It is sunny and the sand is white. Behind them are some trees. UN experts demand Iranians free Foremans UN human rights experts have called for the release of a British couple sentenced to 10 years in an Iranian jail over spying claims. UN special rapporteurs Dr Alice Edwards and Mai Sato said proceedings against Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, had been marked by grave irregularities. The couple were detained in January 2025 while passing through the country on a round-the-world motorcycle trip. They both adamantly deny any wrongdoing. They are now on hunger strike in Tehran's Evin jail, refusing food after phone contact with their family was cut off last month. The UN experts said that the couple should not be in prison, and "after 30 days without food, this is a medical emergency". Dr Alice Edwards is the UN's special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and Mai Sato is the special rapporteur on human rights in Iran. "They appear to have been wrongfully detained, prosecuted on highly questionable grounds, and sentenced after proceedings that failed to meet basic fair trial guarantees." Lindsay and Craig Foreman have been detained in Iran for more than a year A blonde woman, wearing a white cardigan and black top, is standing next to a blond man wearing a white t-shirt. Edwards and Sato were worried the Foremans were being held for political leverage, and have appealed to the Iranian authorities to quash their convictions. They urged the UK government to try all diplomatic means to get them freed. The couple's last consular visit was back in December. The Foreign Office said it would continue working to ensure that they are returned safely to the UK. The couple recently lost an appeal against their 10-year sentence. recently lost an appeal against their 10-year sentence. Lindsay's son Joe Bennett, from Folkestone, Kent, said they were "not permitted to attend their own appeal hearing". Their case has now been passed to the Supreme Court, according to Bennett, although the family do not understand the legal process or the timeline of what might happen next. Their last consular visit was back in December. Joe, who has tirelessly campaigned for the couple's freedom, previously said: "Deals can be made, sanctions can be discussed, shipping lanes can be reopened, but human beings must not be left behind in prison cells. "My mum and Craig are British citizens. They are innocent people caught in a nightmare. "Any serious peace framework with Iran must include the fate of foreign detainees." Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, on Instagram and listen to BBC Radio Kent on Sounds. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Son calls for Iran prisoner exchange for British pair British couple lose Iran jail sentence appeal, family says US-Iran deal must see British pair released - family Foreign. Commonwealth and Development Office A peace deal remains a "moment of fear" for the family of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, they say. The move follows dozens of assaults reported against enforcement officers in Kent since 2020. The road, which connects the town with the harbour, was closed by a landslide in January 2024. The 14-point Memorandum of Understanding was signed at a post-G7 dinner in France. Trump has insisted the deal ensures that Iran will never buy, develop or produce a nuclear weapon. But text of the agreement falls short of that. The 14-paragraph memo includes an end to fighting, an agreement that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and a $300bn redevelopment package for Iran. The BBC's Gary O'Donoghue breaks down the 14-paragraph memorandum of understanding between both two countries. Speaking on Tuesday, Trump said Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu needed "to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon".