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.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate, free for a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first month free.
UNLOCK ACCESS Try a month freeAlready a subscriber? Log in