Iran Security Forces Demand Thousands for Protesters' Bodies

A construction worker in Iran earns less than $100 a month. Yet, authorities are demanding $7,000 to return his son's body. It's a grim trade where grief meets extortion.

Iran Security Forces Selling Back Protesters' Bodies

According to BBC Persian and Reuters, Iranian security forces are holding the bodies of killed protesters in mortuaries, refusing to release them unless families pay exorbitant fees. In the northern city of Rasht, one family was asked for 700 million tomans (about $5,000) for their loved one's remains. In Tehran, another family was told to pay one billion tomans (roughly $7,000), a sum far beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.

Extortion and Propaganda Pressure on Mourning Families

The exploitation isn't just financial. Officials at Tehran's Behesht-e Zahra mortuary have allegedly offered to waive the fees if families claim their child was a member of the Basij paramilitary force killed by protesters. One family told the BBC they were pressured to portray their child as a 'martyr' in a pro-government rally—a request they refused. In some instances, hospital staff have secretly warned families to take bodies before security forces can arrive to extort money.

The human cost is staggering. Data from HRANA indicates at least 2,435 people have been killed, including 13 children. Another 18,470 protesters have been arrested. With an internet blackout and media restrictions, the world is only seeing glimpses of the brutality through smuggled reports and courageous testimony.