Overview
- Fresh testimonies gathered by BBC Persian and French media describe security personnel seeking large sums to release corpses from morgues and hospitals.
- Families cite specific demands ranging from about $3,500 to $7,000 and up to roughly 2 billion tomans, with examples reported in Tehran, Rasht and Shiraz.
- Some relatives say they were told bodies could be returned without payment if they declared the deceased were Basij members or claimed they were killed by protesters.
- Accounts describe families forcing open morgue doors or removing bodies from ambulances, with some hospital staff allegedly warning relatives to collect remains quickly.
- Social videos show long rows of body bags as NGOs and experts speak of thousands killed in the crackdown, while Iran’s embassy in Paris rejects extortion claims and points to regulated burial fees.