David Lammy has admitted that “arrangements can be made” in response to calls for a prisoner swap to free a British couple imprisoned in Iran.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman have been sentenced to 10 years on espionage charges – which they deny – following their arrest during a trip to the country 17 months ago. They say the British government is failing to act on clear signals from Iranian officials that Richard Jan, who was once described as Britain’s worst stalker, is the key to their release.
A joint investigation by The Independent and Sky News has uncovered a 15-year campaign by high-ranking Iranian officials for Jan to receive urgent healthcare in prison and be returned to Iran.
Speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sky News on Sunday, the justice secretary denied that the government’s mind is “closed” to exchanging Jan’s freedom for that of the Foremans.
“Those arrangements can be made,” he said. “It would not be right for me to comment on the particularities, because it would undermine the discussions that we are having with the Iranians.
“I remember as foreign secretary being engaged in detailed discussions with Iran, and raising this particular case, in fact, so I won’t go into the detail. But of course, arrangements can be made of that kind, but [to discuss] the specifics of this would not be right – and I’m not sure, from what I’ve heard, that this is credible.”
Jan was jailed for a minimum term of seven years in 2004 after he waged a campaign of abuse against council workers and mental health teams who tried to section him. Despite government pledges to deport foreign offenders, he has currently served 23 years in prison in the UK, including time served on remand. But his ailing health and his age mean the Iranian government is keen to bring him home.
The Independent can reveal that his case was raised six months ago by an Iranian official holding the Foremans.
It can also now be revealed that Jan’s plight formed part of high-level negotiations in 2021 for the release of British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was detained for six years in Iran before she was finally freed after the British government settled a £400m arms debt with the country.
Speaking on Sky News, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband Richard Ratcliffe said he would be “pushing” the foreign office to follow up on any potential agreement.
“We have to look at our hostage policy,” he said. “We do need to look seriously at how we are handling these situations so you don’t end up with families having to plead on the television and go on hunger strike.”
Mr Ratcliffe previously told The Independent there is a “clear connection” between Jan’s case and the Foremans’ detention.
A government spokesperson warned against publishing the Foreman family’s appeal, adding: “There is no truth whatsoever to the claims of a potential exchange arrangement, and giving credence to these claims is not only wrong but risks hindering all the other efforts currently being made by this government to secure the Foremans’ release.”
However, The Independent has chosen to bring the couple’s link to Jan into the public domain, with the full support of the Foreman family, who have called for officials to fully explore any avenue that could expedite their release.