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Iranwire – Fatemeh Mousavi, a children’s rights activist and mother of two, was arrested on June 25 at her home in Shahreri, near Tehran.
After 23 days of detention, the judicial system of the Islamic Republic imposed a heavy bail of 3 billion tomans ($60,000) on her.
It took two weeks of round-the-clock efforts by her husband to gather the money and secure her temporary release.
Mousavi is among many civil activists in Iran who had to pay exorbitant bails, often making it impossible for the prisoners or their families to afford.
Despite being granted bail, many political and ideological prisoners have been subjected to prolonged detentions lasting for weeks or even months.
Such tactics are used by the judiciary to persecute those whom it considers as critics of the Islamic Republic.
Lawyers argue that the heavy bails set by the judicial system are usually disproportional to the charges they face.
For instance, economic journalist and labor activist Amir Abbas Azaramvand has been sentenced to over four years in prison on vague charges such as “gathering and collusion” and “propaganda activity.”
He was forced to remain in pre-trial detention for more than 10 days because his family had difficulties in finding 500 million tomans ($10,000) for his temporary release.
For the same reason, Ali Ahmadnia, a journalist and former political prisoner, was temporarily released after five and a half months of detention. His bail had been set at 500 million tomans ($10,000).
The impoverishment of the middle class, economic pressures from the security apparatus on the prisoners’ families, restrictions imposed on their businesses and jobs, and the social and economic backgrounds of many protestors make it increasingly difficult for them to secure bail.
“The security establishment’s best option is to target the low-income strata and the working class which lack a strong external support network,” a former political prisoner told IranWire. “These individuals have families who are not well-known, and they lack the ability to share their news effectively on social media.”
“The security apparatus sets bail amounts that these people are unable to provide, subjecting them to double oppression,” the source added.
The ex-prisoner emphasized the importance of disseminating information about the status of prisoners: “The media space plays a crucial role because media coverage can lead to a decrease in bail amounts or attract support from benefactors and concerned individuals capable of providing the necessary amount of money.”
IranWire’s legal advisor Moosa Barzin Khalifaloo points out the issue of the prosecutors’ dependence on security institutions.
According to Barzin, Iranian legislation provides no specific guideline for determining bail amounts. Prosecutors can arbitrarily set the amounts, the only obligation being that it exceeds the financial loss allegedly caused by the accused to an individual or organization.
“Security institutions exert pressure, and sometimes the prosecutor himself may believe that the person should be kept in prison for a while to be intimidated and harassed,” Barzin said.
Some prosecutors are former interrogators or torturers and are appointed to deal with security cases due to their ties with security institutions, leading to the unfair treatment of political and ideological prisoners, according to the human rights lawyer.
