UK bikers detained in Iran accused of spying for UK, Israel
A Parliamentary meeting this week has shed some light on the espionage charges faced by two UK bikers detained in Iran.
The saga of Lindsay and Craig Foreman – the British motorcycling couple detained in Iran earlier this year – drags on, with more details on the charges they face revealed this week.
The Foremans were arrested in January and charged with espionage. In the ensuing months, they have found themselves subject to difficult prison conditions, with the health of both Lyndsay and Craig being described as poor by their son/son-in-law Joe Bennett.
Hitherto, the espionage charges – which the couple deny – have been vague. Now, according to Bennett, it’s become clear that Iran is accusing the Foremans of spying for the UK and Israel.
Reportedly it bases some of this accusation on the fact that the Foremans frequently travel between Spain and the UK. Bennett says this is because they have homes in both countries.
At a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Arbitrary Detention and Hostage Affairs at Westminster on Wednesday, he said: "Last year they went travelling and came back to UK...they were accused of coming back to liaise with intelligence services prior to going into Iran."
“I have nightmares thinking about how Mum and Craig can possibly be coping with this injustice,” Bennett previously told Radio 4’s Today programme. “Hearing false accusations, feeling helpless to be able to defend themselves, knowing that their words have been mistranslated.”
The family has been doing its best to put pressure on the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – the government department tasked with a number of diplomatic responsibilities – and other government officials. That’s what led to Wednesday’s meeting.
The family has also enlisted the support of MP for Folkestone and Hythe, Tony Vaughan, who said: "It's unacceptable that Lindsay and Craig are in Iran, in these conditions.”
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Chris Cope is a fourth-generation journalist, originally from Texas. He has lived in the UK for roughly two decades and has been writing about motorcycles for most of that time. He has written for dozens of publications and websites in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
