A British couple detained in Iran have been charged with espionage, according to the Iranian judiciary news agency. Craig and Lindsay Foreman have been accused of entering the country ‘under the guise of tourists’ and of being ‘affiliated with intelligence services’. No actual evidence to back up the spying charges has been provided by the regime in Tehran, which has a habit of ignoring such legal niceties.
The Foremans were arrested last month during a round-the-world motorbike trip. After staying in the cities of Tabriz, Isfahan and Tehran, they travelled to Kerman in the centre of the country, where they were detained. According to their social media feed, the couple were in Iran as part of a psychology research project asking people what constitutes a ‘good life’. What possessed them to conduct such a survey in paranoid and repressive Iran, of all places, is anyone’s guess. The couple shared regular social media updates from the country – hardly the behaviour, one would think, of spies on a secret mission.
The chances of a fair trial in Iran are non-existent
‘To put your minds at rest, we are having the most amazing time in Iran,’ they posted on Facebook on 3 January. On Instagram, Lindsay Foreman even acknowledged that travelling to Iran, in defiance of Foreign Office advice, was ‘slightly scary’. She added: ‘Yes, we’re aware of the risks. But we also know the rewards of meeting incredible people, hearing their stories, and seeing the breathtaking landscapes of these regions could outweigh the fear.’ The couple appeared oblivious to the obvious dangers.
An Iranian judiciary spokesman said that the pair were arrested ‘during a series of coordinated intelligence operations and while collecting information in Kerman city’. The Iranian authorities have a way of making every activity, however innocent or innocuous, sound sinister. A photograph was released of the detained couple with their faces blurred meeting the British ambassador at the public prosecutor’s office.
The detention of foreign citizens on trumped-up charges in Iran is nothing new. In recent years, the country has arrested a number of British citizens, often Iranians with dual nationality or foreign permanent residence, mostly on spying and national security charges. Those under arrest are often held as leverage, released only when Iran receives something in return. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 after visiting the country on holiday. She was ultimately released and returned to the UK six years later – but only after the UK agreed to settle a historic £400 million debt dating back to the 1970s.
No one should be left in any doubt about what is really going on. Iran’s actions amount to hostage-taking, and it is growing in scale. The regime demonstrates a cavalier contempt for the basic tenets and conventions of international law – yet Western democracies appear unwilling to address the substantive issue. If a paramilitary force did this – rather than a state – it would never be tolerated.
The Foremans are not entirely without blame. The Foreign Office officially advises against all travel to Iran, saying British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at ‘significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention’. Having a British passport or connections to the UK ‘can be reason enough for the Iranians to detain you’, it adds. Is this not clear enough as a warning? Why risk it? A statement issued by the Foreign Office on their family’s behalf said that the ’emotional burden of this situation weighs heavily on us’. Heartache all-round. The naivety and foolishness of this couple is breathtaking.
Alicia Kearns MP, the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on arbitrary detention and hostage-taking, has called on the British government to put in place a plan for the immediate release and return home of the couple. She is right to point out that it is critical to secure the couple’s release before any trial proceedings begin. Why? Because the chances of a fair trial in Iran are non-existent. The assertion by the Iranian authorities – without bothering to offer any evidence – that the pair were ‘cooperating with covert institutions’ merely confirms that these trumped-up charges are being pursued because the couple are British nationals. That is where their true value lies for Tehran.
British diplomats certainly have their work cut out. The Foreign Office said it is in contact with local authorities in Iran and is providing the couple with consular assistance. The negotiations will require delicate diplomacy and quiet persuasion at the highest levels of government. It is remarkable that Britain still has no special envoy dedicated to securing the release of British nationals arbitrarily detained abroad, especially when more and more authoritarian regimes are resorting to such tactics. Everything must be done to bring the Foremans safely home. Let’s hope they’ve learnt their lesson.
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