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“Both the British and Australian governments have been trying to keep the identities of their arrested citizens (in Iran) out of the public domain, believing diplomatic efforts to have them released would be more effective if conducted in private.” gu.com/p/cb6p2/stw
This strategy - keeping things quiet in hopes of brokering a diplomatic deal - is a common response to Iran's practice of arresting academics, journalists, tourists and others with foreign and dual nationalities.
We found that Iranian authorities often make promises of quick release - if only family members keep quiet.
.@BijanKK, who was jailed in Iran in 2009, told me + @joel_schectman last yr that Iranian authorities “arrest someone and then they always tell the families, ‘Oh don’t tell anyone, this is a matter of 1 week or 2 weeks and then it will be resolved.'” reuters.com/investigates/s…
Some people formerly imprisoned by Iran, as well as their family members, believe broad international campaigns are the only way to win their release. Keeping things quiet, they argue, gives Iran the chance to detain people indefinitely while paying no price diplomatically.
Shaul Bakhash, a historian and the husband of Haleh Esfandiari, a scholar arrested by Iranian authorities in 2007, told us last year that he had concluded from his family's experience that "it's always wrong to stay quiet."
Bakhash: "It’s important for the Iranian authorities … to realize that this kind of conduct is unacceptable by international standards." reuters.com/investigates/s…
