According to reports received by the BBC, families of those killed during the recent protests in Iran are facing demands from authorities for substantial payments to reclaim their loved ones' bodies for burial. Sources have informed BBC Persian that bodies are being retained in mortuaries and hospitals, and their release is contingent upon financial transactions with security forces.
It is reported that over 2,435 individuals have died amidst the protests nationwide, spanning more than two weeks. One particular case involves a family in Rasht, who stated that they were asked to pay 700 million tomans (approximately $5,000 or £3,700) to retrieve their relative's body from Poursina Hospital, where it was being held along with at least 70 other deceased protesters.
Similarly, in Tehran, a Kurdish seasonal construction worker's family was confronted with a demand for a billion tomans (roughly $7,000 or £5,200) to have their family member's body released. Unable to meet this demand, they were left without their son's body. The typical income for a construction worker in Iran is less than $100 per month, making these fees unmanageable for most affected families.
Further reports to BBC Persian include accounts of hospital staff alerting families before security forces could impose fees. In one case, a woman only learned of her husband's death when she received a call from hospital staff to collect his body urgently to avoid paying for its release. She then drove his body home in a pickup truck for burial, recounting her tearful journey to a London-based relative.
There have also been allegations of officials at Tehran's Behesht-e Zahra mortuary urging families to declare their deceased loved ones as members of the Basij paramilitary force slain by protesters, promising no charge for the body's release. One family declined participation in a pro-government rally intended to portray their member as a martyr, according to a message received by the BBC.