British Couple Sentenced to Decade in Iran's Notorious Evin Prison
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a British couple arrested last year during an around-the-world motorcycle journey, have been sentenced to ten years in Iran's notorious Evin prison. The pair face allegations of espionage, which they vehemently deny, and are now confined within one of the Islamic Republic's most feared detention facilities.
Inside Evin: A Symbol of Repression
Evin prison, opened in 1971 on the picturesque slopes of Tehran's Alborz Mountains, has long been viewed by human rights campaigners as a symbol of Iran's iron-fisted rule. The facility houses dissidents, political prisoners, journalists, lawyers, and students behind concrete walls, electrified barbed-wire fences, and even a minefield separating them from the outside world.
The Foremans have described being held in eight-foot cells equipped with nothing more than a floor hole and a sink. Craig Foreman reportedly endured 57 days in confinement that left him emotionally and physically broken, while Lindsay Foreman told the BBC she spends her days running "in circles" in the prison's cramped yard.
A History of Violence and Controversy
Evin's history is marked by periods of extreme violence. In 1988, thousands of prisoners were executed after cursory trials in what Human Rights Watch called the "darkest period in Evin's history." More recently, during 2022 protests following Mahsa Amini's death, a fire broke out amid clashes between prisoners staging sit-ins and chanting anti-government slogans.
Last year, Israel targeted Evin prison with projectiles that killed 79 people and wounded dozens, including guards, prisoners, and visiting family members. Human Rights Watch declared the attack a war crime, noting it damaged 28 buildings and reduced stretches of the facility to piles of debris and mangled metal beams.
Harsh Conditions and Systematic Abuse
Former prisoners describe widespread harsh treatment and abuse at Evin, including:
- Grueling interrogations while blindfolded
- Physical torture and psychological humiliation
- Solitary confinement in cells with constant lighting to prevent sleep
- Overcrowded halls with bed bugs, cockroaches, and rats
- Threats against prisoners' families from guards
The prison has routinely held foreign nationals and dual citizens, including French nationals Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who were imprisoned for three years on spying charges before being freed last year. These lengthy detentions have led the UK and US to accuse Iran of using foreign nationals as political bargaining chips.
The Foremans' Perspective
Despite their dire circumstances, Lindsay Foreman maintains a perspective of relative gratitude. "I'm surrounded by people who are in worse situations who have to live this their entire life," she told the BBC. "So in some way I feel lucky that I've had the life I have until this point – and hopefully one day for me it will end."
The couple's ten-year sentence represents another chapter in Evin prison's long history of human rights violations and international controversy, highlighting ongoing tensions between Iran and Western nations over detention practices and political prisoner treatment.
