THE British Channel 4 stars currently detained in Iran on espionage charges have reportedly been moved to separate prisons after being subjected to torture.
Husband and wife Craig and Lindsay Foreman have spent over half-a-year days in jail since being detained during a round-the-world motorbike trip.
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The Brits entered Iran despite being warned by the Foreign Office and their family to avoid passing through the notoriously strict state.
The couple, both in their 50s, were held back in January on unspecified espionage charges.
The Iranian government claimed they were “posing as tourists” to gather intelligence against the Middle East nation.
The couple’s worried family revealed that they hadn’t had any direct contact with them since their initial incarceration.
And the Foreign Office said, until recent weeks, it couldn’t confirm their whereabouts.
Now, it’s thought the couple have been cruelly separated and moved from a security detention facility in Kerman, the Daily Mail reports.
Lindsay Foreman was recently transferred to Qarchak Prison, meanwhile her husband Craig was moved to Greater Tehran Prison, according to information obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
The two prisons are over 20 miles from one another.
The charity also claimed in a statement that during their detention in Kerman, the Brits were “‘subjected to severe pressure and torture aimed at extracting forced confessions”.
It added how their family has become understandably increasingly concerned and their well-being – especially considering the recent heightened tensions between Israel and Iran.
The pair first travelled into Iran from Armenia on December 30, and reportedly planned to leave by January 4, as they headed for Australia.
While in Iran they visited Tabriz, the capital Tehran, and Isfahan before staying in Kerman.
It was here where they were picked up by police and arrested.
At the time, the Foreign Office said the couples arrest had “caused significant concern”.
The couple, who had previously been featured on Channel 4‘s A New Life in the Sun, had ignored pleas from friends, family and the Foreign Office (FCDO) not to enter Iran.
FCDO guidance explicitly warns against all travel to the country, cautioning that British citizens could be arrested simply for their nationality.
Despite this, the pair acknowledged the extreme risk in a social media post on December 30.
It read: “Despite the advice of friends, family, and the FCDO (which strongly advises against travel to Iran for British nationals), we’ve chosen to keep moving forward.
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“Why? Because we believe that, no matter where you are in the world, most people are good, kind humans striving for a meaningful life. Yes, we’re aware of the risks.
“We also know the rewards of meeting incredible people, hearing their stories, and seeing the breathtaking landscapes of these regions could far outweigh the fear.”
The UK government has been urged to act quickly to try and free the pair.
Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was imprisoned in Iran for six years, urged officials to move faster than they did in her case.
He said: “My heart goes out to them, and I hope they are not in for a long ordeal, and that the government is able to respond more promptly than it did in our case.”
Brits ‘face torture and years in hellhole jail’ on ‘fabricated’ espionage charges
CRAIG and Lindsay Foreman could be left to languish in a hellhole jail for years, sources fear.
Insiders believe Iran’s merciless leaders have made a “fabricated case” to use Craig and Lindsay as pawns in their sick game to get Western countries to give in to their demands.
United Against Nuclear Iran’s (UANI) policy director Jason Brodsky told The Sun while they are unlikely to face execution, they could be jailed for years and face torture.
He said: “Iran uses hostage diplomacy as a means to extract concessions from Europe and the United States.
“Hostages have languished for years behind bars in Iran.
“The Iranian regime has executed dual-nationals previously, or those with Iranian citizenship in addition to American or European nationality.
“Since the Foremans do not have dual-nationality, an execution is unlikely but the danger of harm remains.
“The Iranian regime employs both psychological and physical torture methods depending on the situation.”
Insiders and campaigners say it is likely the couple were arrested simply for being British.
It is feared they have been taken “hostage” to put pressure on the UK.
Hossein Abedini of the National Council of Resistance told The Sun: “All of these actions are aimed at gaining leverage from the country to which the hostages belong therefore, any verdicts could arise.
“This is a repetitive process that has occurred many times, but due to the concessions made by the West, the regime assesses this as a profitable business.”
