Son of British Couple Detained in Iran Calls on Starmer to Press for Their Release
Joe Bennett, the son of a British couple held in Tehran on espionage charges, has urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to prioritize their case during the "very opportune moment" of a ceasefire in the Iran conflict. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, were arrested while on a five-day trip across Iran in January last year and have been detained in Evin prison for 15 months.
Diplomatic Opportunity Amid Ceasefire Talks
As Starmer visits the Gulf to discuss efforts to uphold the ceasefire, the couple's family have called on the prime minister and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to raise the case in all diplomatic discussions. "If peace is genuinely part of the agenda, then that has to include the releasing of innocent people. I don't see how it can be peaceful and that's the case," said Lindsay's son, Joe Bennett.
The 31-year-old emphasized that it is a "very opportune moment" for the government to "take courage" from the recent release of two French citizens, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who were detained in Iran for almost four years on similar charges. Bennett noted, "Macron was incredibly vocal, he was championing above all else, and I think that's where we can take some courage and have a look at how do we apply that kind of pressure in the right way. There's a genuine opportunity for resolution here."
Campaign for Release and Government Response
Bennett has been campaigning for the couple's release with significant cross-party parliamentary support, including meetings with the foreign secretary and a hearing by the all-party parliamentary group on arbitrary detention and hostage affairs. However, he reported no visible progress in 15 months.
On Thursday morning, Bennett spoke with his mother in Evin prison, describing the past 48 hours as tumultuous due to ceasefire developments. He expressed "pure fear" until news of a two-week ceasefire was announced, which has given the couple hope that the UK government will fight for them.
Bennett highlighted Yvette Cooper's statement calling the detention unjustifiable and promising relentless efforts to bring them home, but stressed, "I need to see signs of that." In communications with the Foreign Office, he has been told the situation is being assessed on the ground, but he criticized the lack of accountability or clear plan, noting he recently had to push for virtual consular assistance.
Broader Implications and Call to Action
"There's a genuine opportunity here, we can hopefully make progress," said Bennett. "And that's not just on the strait of Hormuz, that's not just on oil prices – everyone talks about the top of the agenda but they forget that there's innocent human beings at the centre of this." The UK government has faced criticism for its handling of hostage-taking by foreign states, including failing to appoint a special envoy as promised.
