If you are arrested in a foreign country, your first statement to authorities should be a request:
Ask to speak to a consular officer at the American embassy or consulate. It is your right under international agreements to receive assistance from your government. So, be polite, but insistent, and keep asking until you are placed into contact with an American official.
American officials can provide the following assistance:
- Contacting your family.
- Forwarding money from your family to help with your defense.
- Making sure you are physically well and being held under appropriate living conditions.
- Supplying a list of local attorneys