اشتباهات رایج خانواده‌ها در روزهای نخست بازداشت؛ از اعتماد به مأموران تا پرداخت پول به واسطه‌ها

The Most Common Mistake Families of Detained People Make in the First Days and How to Avoid It

The mistake families make when their loved ones are arrested is believing what the officers tell them. When they visit or contact the authorities to ask about their child, they are told lies, and families accept them. Even if they do not believe these statements deep down, they appear to accept them.

Do not believe what the officers say, and do not trust them. If you trust them, accept their statements, and then cooperate because they make you a promise, you have made the biggest possible mistake.

Sometimes officers also have intermediaries whom they send to families to collect money. For example, a person may be due to be released in a week, and an officer who knows about the planned release may say, “I can get them released, but I will charge one billion tomans.”

This claim may be false. The person may indeed be released, but even if you do not pay, your loved one will be released on the date they were already due to be released.

Do not give money to intermediaries. If you want to spend money, you should find a good and trustworthy lawyer who can first investigate what is actually happening.

These people may stage situations to take money from you. The biggest mistake families make is saying, “We will pay the money. This person will definitely get our loved one released.”

Sometimes the intermediary may even be acting on behalf of the interrogator. You do not know who the interrogator is or what they look like.

Because the interrogator knows that the person is going to be released, they may approach the family through an intermediary and say, “Pay this amount, and we can have them released by this date.”

For example, someone may approach you and say, “I am a friend of the interrogator. I know where your loved one is being held,” and then take money from you.

Therefore, under no circumstances should you pay money to intermediaries around detention centres and prisons.

The best thing to do is to find out what is happening in the case. Although this can be difficult, with the help of a lawyer, legal advice and even by approaching the prosecutor, you may be able to understand what is going on.

You can even go to the prosecutor and say, “Someone approached us and said that if we pay this amount of money, they can get our loved one released.”

By raising this issue, you disrupt their hidden arrangements, because they may all be working together.

In this way, they realise that you are aware of what is happening within their system and that they cannot deceive you and take your money in this way.

Therefore, you can turn this issue into a means of pursuing the release of your child or loved one.

Approach the investigating judge, the prosecutor and even the head of the provincial judiciary, and tell them that these individuals are pressuring you to pay money.

By doing this, you disrupt their system and expose their actions.

Regarding lawyers, make sure that the lawyer is someone you personally trust.

Do not trust a lawyer recommended by the officers, and do not pay them any fees until your child has been released.

If the bail amount is very high, remember that it is possible to negotiate and seek a reduction.

This is because bail must be proportionate to the charge. The proportionality of bail to the alleged offence is very important.

For example, they cannot suddenly demand ten billion tomans in bail for a charge such as collusion against the state.

Such a charge may carry a maximum prison sentence of one year and may be resolved through a fine, rather than requiring ten billion tomans in bail.

It is very important to insist on the right of access to a lawyer.

It is also very important to emphasise any medical condition the detained person may have.

You should also insist that the person cannot be held in unidentified detention centres and that their place of detention must be known.

These are matters that must be clarified when you approach the authorities.

Access to a lawyer is mandatory, and the authorities must recognise this right.

Access to a lawyer is extremely important.

Publicising the detention can also help reduce the likelihood of torture.