An Iranian family has been forced to pay for the bullet that killed their son during a violent crackdown on protesters, according to relatives. Hooman, 37, was shot dead last month after joining demonstrations in Lahijan, northern Iran, his family told Sky News. His aunt, Nasrin, who spoke from Germany due to safety concerns, said Hooman was unarmed and did not have “even a small rock in his pockets” to defend himself.
The protests erupted after a bazaar in Rasht was set on fire. As demonstrators fled the blaze, security forces opened fire, a friend reported. Iranian state television described the incident as “the terrorist incident of the Rasht bazaar fire”. Hooman had posted on social media an hour before his death that if he did not return, it meant he had died so others could be free. He had been married three years ago.
After his death, Hooman’s family was forced to visit hospitals to search for him, where they found containers stacked with bodies. “They had to look for their son,” Nasrin said. The family was told to bury Hooman immediately and sign a document forbidding them from speaking about the incident. They were also required to pay for the bullet that killed him.
Human rights groups have previously reported that authorities demand thousands of dollars from families to cover ammunition and mortuary fees, threatening collective or anonymous burials if they cannot pay. Nasrin condemned the government, stating, “They shoot the young people and then they demand money for the bullet.” She expressed no faith in foreign leaders, saying change must come from within Iran.
At least 6,000 people have reportedly been killed in the protests, though numbers are difficult to verify. The Iranian government has released the names of 3,000 dead, including civilians and security forces. On the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Republic, President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised for the crackdown, saying, “We are ashamed before the people.”
