British woman detained in notorious Iran prison describes her 'psychological torture' | ITV News скачать в хорошем качестве

British woman detained in notorious Iran prison describes her 'psychological torture' | ITV News

British mum Lindsay Foreman has described the "psychological torture" she has experienced in an Iranian prison where she has been detained for more than a year on espionage charges. During two phone conversations from Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, the 53-year-old from East Sussex told Global Security Editor Rohit Kachroo of her time in solitary confinement. She spoke of the psychological torture of being imprisoned near her husband but with only occasional contact, the "multiple times" she has been told she was being released - and the "depressing" realisation it wasn't going to happen. Lindsay and her husband Craig were taken into custody during a motorcycle tour around the world in January 2025 - they were charged with espionage a month later. The couple have been imprisoned ever since, and deny all charges against them. They are being held in the same prison where Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was held. "If I could do anything to change the situation here, I will do it, even if I'm at risk," Lindsay said. "So having this call, they are recorded ... And there's a risk that I will have my calls cut, I'll be put in solitary confinement, I'll have another file open on me. But I have to do something. I can't sit and do nothing." Lindsay shared her experience of her time spent in "solitary confinement", which she described as "a massive mental test". "The emotions are extreme. You know, the lows are really low and the highs when people get released ... You know [it] is a bit of a journey." On her false hopes of being released, she said: "Literally, they've said the words: ‘You're going to be released next week, you're going to be’ - you know, even when they transported us from Kerman (a city in the south-east) to Tehran, we were on a commercial flight, we were wearing our own clothes, you know, there were no handcuffs, no blindfolds. "We knew it was going to Tehran, but everybody, the guards at the Kerman prison, you know, said that this is, you know, this is release. The prosecutor that we’d had there said you'd be going to Tehran and onto the UK." But Lindsay and her husband were no closer to going home. "But not only was it not the end, the progress we thought we'd made in Kerman with getting a lawyer, eventually, you know, being told we were going to court, all just stopped and we ended up going back and having to start again. "[The most] pitiful, depressing moment, I think I've ever experienced that actual belief that this is the end, only for it all to start, literally all start all over again," she added. Lindsay said she is able to see her husband Craig, who is also detained in Evin prison, but described the meetings as "psychological torture". "So for example, we were promised three meetings a month, which can range between, I think the [shortest] has been about 45 minutes ... and the longest I think we've had is about, you know, just over two hours." "On more than one occasion, they cancel it at the last minute. And that is the most soul-destroying thing." Lindsay spoke about people she has met in the prison, including those arrested during recent protests in Iran. "There's a young girl who came in... she's been sentenced to 25 years for protesting last month. And her dad who was also protesting with her has been sentenced to death. Describing how she tries to offer comfort, she said: "Well I can't speak because we are limited by language, I do what I can to make them feel better through breath and through hugs. "If I can help them with that through a hug or through, you know, sharing what's happening here, then yeah, it will be worth it." 'There's a risk of detainment, but how bad can that be?' Lindsay said she and Craig have been told they were "spies" and that they were "working with Israel" as an explanation for them being detained. The couple were originally heading for Australia, having crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30, 2024, according to social media posts documenting their travels.