Espionage charges are ‘made up’, says mother of British woman detained in Iran
Jennifer Rutland said family members had warned the British couple not to visit Iran because they knew it was ‘dangerous’.
The mother of a British woman who has been charged with espionage in Iran said the charges are entirely “made up”.
Lindsay Foreman and her husband Craig Foreman were charged on Tuesday, Iranian media said, after being detained in January while on a motorcycle tour around the world.
Jennifer Rutland, Mrs Foreman’s mother, told the Telegraph the British couple were warned by relatives against travelling to the Middle Eastern country.
Mrs Rutland said: “Family members told them not to go to Iran because they knew it was dangerous. But because I never intended on visiting I hadn’t a clue.
On what was being done to support the couple, she added: “We know what charges, but they’re made up charges – so it’s people higher up than me that are going to do the nitty-gritty of trying to get someone to do something, having meetings.”
Documenting their travels on social media, Mrs Foreman had previously acknowledged the risks – saying it was “slightly scary” travelling to Iran against Foreign Office advice.
Originally heading for Australia, Mrs Foreman said she was on a psychology research project, asking people what constitutes a “good life” ahead of a conference in Brisbane in July.
Mrs Rutland told the Telegraph: “They’re being held for espionage. That’s nothing like her – she was going just to get views of what life is like.
“She did a psychology degree at uni, so she wants people to have a better life and she was going out to try and find how people were living and how she could give them a better life and what she could do.”
An Iranian judiciary spokesperson said on Tuesday that the couple had “collected information” throughout the country under the guise of being tourists.
The Foreign Office advises against all travel to Iran.
A FCDO spokesperson said: “We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran. We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities.
“We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.”
The Iranian regime previously held dual British-Iranian citizens Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori for several years before they were released in March 2022.
The PA news agency has approached Mrs Rutland for comment.
