Families of people killed during protests in Iran have told the BBC that authorities are demanding large sums of money in exchange for returning the bodies of their loved ones for burial, Gazeta Express reports.
Multiple sources told BBC Persian that bodies are being held in morgues and hospitals, and that security forces refuse to release them unless relatives pay cash.
At least 2,435 people have been killed during more than two weeks of protests across the country.
One family in the northern city of Rasht told the BBC that security forces demanded 700 million tomans ($5,000; £3,700) to release the body of their relative.
The body was being held at the morgue of Poursina Hospital, alongside at least 70 other deceased protesters, they said.
Meanwhile in Tehran, the family of a seasonal Kurdish construction worker went to retrieve his body, only to be told they must pay one billion tomans ($7,000; £5,200) to receive it.
The family told the BBC they could not afford the payment and were forced to leave without their son’s body. A construction worker in Iran typically earns less than $100 per month.
In some cases, hospital staff have reportedly contacted families in advance to warn them to collect the bodies before security forces could extort money from them.
