Iranian regime demands $5,000 for return of protesters' bodies — BBC
Relatives of those killed during protests in Iran have said that the regime is demanding large sums of money for the return of bodies for burial.
According to Ukrinform, this is reported in a BBC article.
At least 2,435 people have died during more than two weeks of anti-government protests across Iran.
One family from the northern city of Rasht told the BBC that security forces demanded 700 million tomans ($5,000) for the return of their loved one's body.
The burial took place in the morgue of Poursina Hospital along with at least 70 other dead protesters.
Meanwhile, in Tehran, the family of a Kurdish seasonal construction worker went to collect his body but were told they had to pay a billion tomans ($7,000) to get it.
The family told the BBC that they could not afford the sum and were forced to leave without their son's body. Construction workers in Iran typically earn less than $100 per month.
In some cases, hospital staff called the relatives of the deceased to warn them that they needed to come and collect the bodies before security forces could demand any money from them.
As reported by Ukrinform, Western media outlets report that US President Donald Trump told his national security team that he would like any US military action in Iran to deliver a “swift and decisive” blow to the regime, but not lead to the start of a protracted war.
Photo: ZUMA Press Wire/dpa