What it means
بازپرس (bâzpors) is a noun meaning investigating magistrate or examining judge, the judicial officer in the Iranian legal system who leads the pre-trial investigation of a case. The word is a pure Persian compound: باز (bâz, meaning back or again, a common Persian verbal prefix) plus پرس (pors, the imperative stem of پرسیدن, porsidan, to ask or to inquire). The compound literally means one who asks back or one who re-examines by questioning. There is no Arabic component. The بازپرس is distinct from the قاضی (qâzi, the trial judge who issues verdicts). The بازپرس questions suspects, reviews evidence, and decides whether a case proceeds to trial.
How to use it
- بازپرس پرونده فردا متهم رو احضار کرد. (Bâzpors-e parvande fardâ motaham ro ehzâr kard.) “The investigating magistrate on the case summoned the accused for tomorrow.”
- تحقیقات زیر نظر بازپرس انجام میشه. (Tahghighât zir-e nazar-e bâzpors anjâm mishe.) “The investigation is conducted under the magistrate’s supervision.”
- بازپرس دستور بازداشت صادر کرد. (Bâzpors dastur-e bâzdâsht sâder kard.) “The investigating magistrate issued the detention order.”
- وکیل منتظر نظر بازپرس بود. (Vakil montazer-e nazar-e bâzpors bud.) “The lawyer was waiting for the magistrate’s decision.”
Cultural note
The بازپرس is a central figure in Iran’s inquisitorial legal system, which is based on Islamic jurisprudence combined with elements of civil law procedure. Unlike adversarial legal systems where two sides argue before a passive judge, Iran’s pre-trial phase gives the بازپرس active authority: they direct police inquiries, interview witnesses, read all evidence, and produce a report that shapes whether the case goes to trial. Human rights organisations have documented the بازپرس phase as a point of particular vulnerability for defendants, since suspects can be held in custody while the بازپرس investigates, sometimes for extended periods. The role has no single-word equivalent in English, and translators use examining judge, investigating magistrate, or pre-trial judge depending on context.