Iran Families Forced to Pay ‘Bullet Fees’ to Bury Loved Ones: Report

Iran is burning, and ordinary Iranians are living through their worst nightmares. Violence in the streets has already claimed countless lives but perhaps the most harrowing part comes afterward, when grieving families are told they must pay “bullet fees” before they can bury their loved ones.  

According to an exclusive report by the New York Post, eyewitnesses in Tehran have described how families are being forced to hand over large sums of money to authorities in exchange for the bodies of relatives killed during anti‑government protests.  

One account shared with the news outlet tells of a man who was at a protest with his wife when he noticed a green laser light aimed at her face. Acting instinctively, he stepped in front of her. A bullet struck him in the face, killing him instantly.  

His family’s grief was compounded when officials refused to list the cause of death as a gunshot, instead recording it as an injury from a “sharp object.” To claim his body, they were told to pay 500 million tomans which roughly translates Rs 3 Lakh. Only after this payment were they allowed to bury him.  

The Tehran‑based woman who shared the account, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, said this practice is becoming common. “Like so many of the dead, the regime is now charging families ‘bullet fees’ before they will return the bodies,” she told the New York Post.  

She added that in her own circle, five people have died in recent days. Despite internet blackouts and heavy crackdowns, she described seeing men, women, and even children continuing to march in Tehran, demanding change. “People are suffering, no matter how old they are. And they want the same thing, regime change,” she said.  

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