British Motorcyclists Jailed in Iran Have Sentences Extended By Two More Years

The current hostilities are likely not making the situation any better.

Photo by: Craig and Lindsay Foreman

By: Jonathon Klein

Jul 17, at 9:33am ET

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Traveling across continents is something that almost every motorcyclist dreams of. New locales, new people, new sights and sounds, new food, and the beckon of the open road, those are what drives us to ride these grand adventures around the world. But going in blind, going without a proper plan, or going in to places where the outcome isn't always certain, can lead to unnecessary risks, and/or issues with governments that aren't friendly with your own.

Conflict zones, or exclusion zones, make matters worse. At least, again, if you're unprepared, unaware, or think, "That won't happen to me." Backup plans and literal backup are always necessary when you're doing this type of travel. You should also know better than doing something in certain situations, which is likely the case of Britons Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who were riding their motorcycles in the Middle East and went into Iran.

Not the best idea, even though this predates the current conflict between the United States and Iran, which hadn't yet kicked off. Still, the two were arrested for espionage, tried, convicted, and sentenced to 10 years in jail. The UK has done what it could to see their release, but a new wrinkle has occurred, as it was recently announced that Craig has seen his sentence furthered by another two years.

According to the BBC, "In February [Craig and Lindsay] were each sentenced to 10 years in jail, but relatives of Craig Foreman said he had been told his punishment is being extended for talking to the media from his cell in Tehran's Evin prison. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said the department was 'urgently following up with the Iranian authorities about the reported increased sentence.'"

The news organization states that Foreman was supposedly informed that he was being taken to see his lawyer, but instead was ushered in front of a judge. With no lawyer present, and no translator at the time, he was given two more years of prison time. Nor was he given the chance to defend himself, though it'd be hard to do so even with a translator or lawyer. The two, however, have also been on a hunger strike since May, says the BBC, which notes that they began it after prison officials wouldn't allow them to contact their family members.

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The British Foreign Office has been doing its part in advocating for the couple's release, as well as telling the Iranian government—whatever's left, that is—that the two motorcyclists are not spies, nor do they deserve to be detained, and that they should be immediately released. But with the current conflict within the country, and the power vacuum that it's created within who's running the whole state, let alone smaller sections and prisons, the political will to do anything likely shifts on a given day.

What happens next will largely depend on what happens next within Iran and Tehran's government. However, the UK also just made an office "to support British nationals detained abroad in complex cases" with former MP and Middle East minister Alistair Burt taking on the role. The Foreman's case will be one of his first tests, and the family is supposedly optimistic.