The Chosun Daily – Iranian authorities have reportedly demanded large sums of money from families seeking to retrieve the bodies of those killed during anti-government protests.
The BBC reported on the 15th, citing multiple sources, that Iranian authorities are storing the bodies of protesters killed in demonstrations in morgues and hospitals, refusing to return them unless families pay.
A relative of a victim from the northern city of Rasht stated, “Security forces demanded 700 million tomans (approximately $5,000, 7 million won) in exchange for handing over the deceased’s body.” They added, “The body was kept at Poursina Hospital’s morgue, where at least 70 other protester bodies were also stored.”
In Tehran, a family of a Kurdish construction worker was told they would need to pay 1 billion tomans (approximately 10 million won) to reclaim the body. The victim’s relative told the BBC, “We had no choice but to leave without our son’s body because we couldn’t afford the sum.” Construction workers in Iran reportedly earn less than $100 (approximately 150,000 won) per month, meaning the demanded amount was equivalent to 70 times their monthly salary.
Some hospital staff have been alerting families in advance, warning, “Hurry to retrieve the body before security forces come to extort money.”
Cases have also emerged of families breaking into morgues to reclaim bodies, fearing authorities might dispose of them arbitrarily. A source explained, “Multiple families broke down morgue doors and dragged bodies from ambulances, fearing officials would either keep the remains or bury them without their knowledge.” They added, “To prevent bodies from being seized, families guarded them for hours on hospital grounds until they could secure private ambulances to transport them.”
Families have also been offered the bodies “free of charge” if they participate in pro-government propaganda activities. One victim’s family wrote to the BBC, “We were asked to attend a pro-government rally and label the deceased a ‘martyr,’ but we refused.”
Estimates suggest the Iranian regime’s violent crackdown on protests, including indiscriminate gunfire, has caused at least thousands of deaths. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) estimated that by the 14th, 18 days of protests across 187 cities nationwide had resulted in at least 2,615 deaths—including civilians and security forces—and 18,470 arrests.