Families of people killed in the protests in Iran have told the BBC that the authorities are demanding large sums of money to return their bodies for burial.
Multiple sources have informed BBC Persian that bodies are being held in mortuaries and hospitals, and that security forces will not release them unless their relatives hand over money. At least 2,435 people have reportedly been killed during the protests which have spanned over two weeks.
For instance, a family in Rasht reported that they were asked for 700 million tomans (around $5,000) to release the body of their loved one, which was being held alongside approximately 70 other deceased protesters at Poursina Hospital's mortuary.
In Tehran, another family found they needed to pay one billion tomans ($7,000) for the body of a Kurdish seasonal worker after he was killed during the protests. Given that a typical construction worker in Iran earns less than $100 a month, many families are unable to afford these extortionate fees.
Reports reveal that some hospital staff have warned relatives to come and collect bodies quickly before security forces can intervene. One woman learned of her husband’s death via a phone call from hospital staff, who informed her to retrieve his body before the authorities could impose charges.
Desperate families are taking drastic measures; there are accounts of groups breaking into mortuaries out of fear that the bodies would be claimed by the authorities for unacknowledged burial. An ongoing internet and communications blackout is hampering efforts to get a comprehensive understanding of the current situation, as human rights organizations struggle to gather information from the ground.
The protests began in Tehran on December 29 in response to the plummeting value of the Iranian currency. They soon spread to other cities, turning critical of Iran's ruling clerics, prompting a violent crackdown. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the casualty figures have reached at least 2,435 dead and over 18,000 arrested since the unrest began. The international community remains largely uninformed and powerless due to restrictions imposed by the Iranian government.
