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Families forced to pay for release of loved ones' bodies
Relatives of protesters killed in Iran report being extorted by authorities to retrieve bodies for burial, with fees reaching thousands of dollars. The practice has left many families unable to afford proper funerals amid ongoing unrest.
Extortion tactics revealed
Multiple sources told BBC Persian that security forces are withholding bodies in mortuaries and hospitals across Iran, releasing them only after relatives pay substantial sums. At least 2,435 people have died in protests that began over two weeks ago.
In Rasht, northern Iran, one family was asked to pay 700 million tomans ($5,000; £3,700) to recover their relative's body from Poursina Hospital. The mortuary reportedly holds at least 70 other deceased protesters.
Financial burden on grieving families
A Tehran family faced a demand of 1 billion tomans ($7,000; £5,200) for their son's body-a Kurdish construction worker who earned less than $100 monthly. Unable to pay, they left without him. Similar cases have been reported nationwide.
Desperate measures to reclaim bodies
Hospital staff have warned relatives to collect bodies quickly before security forces intervene. One woman, whose identity is protected, learned of her husband's death only when hospital staff called her on January 9, urging her to retrieve his body before authorities demanded payment.
She transported his body in a pickup truck for seven hours to their hometown in western Iran, cradling him in the back while her children sat in the front. "I rode in the back, crying over his body for seven hours," she told a relative in London.
Coercion and resistance
At Tehran's Behesht-e Zahra mortuary, officials offered to release bodies for free if families falsely claimed their loved ones were Basij paramilitary members killed by protesters. One family refused, rejecting demands to participate in a pro-government rally to portray their relative as a "martyr."
In another incident, families broke into a mortuary to prevent authorities from seizing bodies. They guarded the remains for hours in a hospital courtyard until private ambulances arrived.
Wider crackdown and communication blackout
Protests erupted on December 29 in Tehran after the Iranian currency plummeted. Demonstrations spread to dozens of cities, targeting clerical rule, and met with violent repression. The crackdown intensified last Thursday, with security forces using deadly force.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), 2,435 protesters have been killed, including 13 children and 153 security personnel or government affiliates. Over 18,470 protesters have been arrested.
An internet blackout has obscured the full scale of the crisis. International human rights groups and media, including the BBC, are barred from reporting inside Iran, limiting independent verification.
Continued detentions
Security forces and Revolutionary Guard intelligence units have detained activists, lawyers, and civilians nationwide. Arrests persist as authorities seek to suppress dissent.
