The price of a bullet, when the regime even takes death hostage
The Price of a Bullet as a Tool of Repression is a shocking account of the Islamic Republic regime's taking the bodies of the dead hostage.
Following the bloody suppression of recent protests in Iran, numerous and shocking reports have been published from various cities indicating that the security and judicial institutions of the Islamic Republic regime have made the handover of the bodies of protesters killed by bullets conditional on the payment of heavy sums of money; amounts that, according to the families, have been demanded under the heading of "bullet costs" or "operation costs."
According to accounts from grieving families, after protesters were killed by live ammunition or even shotgun pellets, security forces transported the bodies of the victims to security centers or forensic centers and then informed the families that a significant amount of money must be paid for each bullet fired in order to receive the bodies. In some cases, these amounts were so high that the families were forced to sell assets or take out loans.
Human rights activists say this is not just a financial move, but part of a policy of systematic intimidation and humiliation. According to them, the regime is using this method to prevent families from pursuing legal and media action, to prevent public ceremonies and protests, and to impose the cost of protest on society even after death.
In many of these cases, families have simultaneously been pressured to remain silent, bury at night, and sign affidavits that prohibit them from speaking to the media or holding memorial services.
The demand for money to return the bodies of the dead is not a new phenomenon in the Islamic Republic. Similar reports have been published in previous protests, but in the recent wave of protests, the scale and nakedness of this action has attracted more public attention than ever before. Analysts believe that the severity of the crisis and the high number of deaths have led the regime to make maximum use of psychological and economic pressure tools.
Human rights experts emphasize that making the handover of the bodies of the deceased conditional on payment of money is a gross violation of human dignity and the fundamental rights of families and can be considered inhumane treatment and collective punishment. This action is not only contrary to the government's alleged domestic laws, but also in complete contradiction with the norms of international law.
According to observers, the demand for "the price of bullets" sends a clear message: "The Islamic Republic regime wants to show that control, punishment, and humiliation continue even after death; but in return, the publication of these narratives has become another symbol of the depth of the crisis of legitimacy of the government and the accumulated anger of society, anger and pain that will not disappear with money, threats, or forced silence."
