Britons held in Iran lose appeal against 10-year prison term, family says

"They were not permitted to attend their own appeal hearing," Lindsay Foreman's son, Joe ⁠Bennett, said ​in a statement, adding ⁠that the family did not know whether the couple had received a proper account of the case ⁠presented for them. Iran's Judiciary did not immediately respond to a call for comment from Reuters.

‌A ​British couple held in Iran have lost their appeal against a 10-year prison sentence, their family said on Tuesday, adding ‌that the pair were not allowed to attend the hearing and had little information about the proceedings. Craig and Lindsay Foreman were sentenced to 10 years in a Tehran prison last ‌year after Iran charged them with espionage, which they deny.

The family said the appeal ‌was conducted without their knowledge and the couple had been asked to sign documents in Farsi that they could not read. "They were not permitted to attend their own appeal hearing," Lindsay Foreman's son, Joe ⁠Bennett, said ​in a statement, adding ⁠that the family did not know whether the couple had received a proper account of the case ⁠presented for them.

Iran's Judiciary did not immediately respond to a call for comment from Reuters. Bennett said ​the case had now been referred to Iran's Supreme Court but that the ⁠process and timeline remained unclear, adding that the couple were effectively without legal representation.

He also said the pair were ⁠on ​hunger strike in protest and had lost contact with their family. The British government has previously called the Foremans' sentence "totally unjustifiable" and said it would continue to press ⁠for their release. The family has criticised London's response, saying earlier this year the couple ⁠were being used ⁠as "human shields" during conflict in the region. Britain's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.