Call to label Iran detention of East Sussex couple as arbitrary

Bennett, from Folkestone, said that in prison “every day is hell” for the couple, who were accused of spying by Iranian authorities.

The Foremans were in Iran on an around-the-world motorbike trip at the time of their arrest and their family have said the espionage charges are “ludicrous”.

Folkestone and Hythe MP Tony Vaughan joined Bennett to call on the UK government to formally recognise the detention as arbitrary.

“If the government recognises that the detention is arbitrary, it massively prioritises the way the government has to approach this case.

“That’s exactly what is needed,” the MP said.

In September 2024, the UK government said at the UN Human Rights Council, external it worked “to condemn the use of arbitrary detention, to support those who have been arbitrarily detained, and to demand accountability”.