UNITED NATIONS DECLARES IRAN MUST RELEASE PROTESTERS’ BODIES

The UN human rights office has warned the situation in Iran is “critical” and criticised authorities for apparently not releasing protesters’ bodies.

A hardening of the response by security forces to the anti-government unrest was resulting in a rising number of deaths, spokeswoman Liz Throssell said.

She put the toll at more than 300.

She also expressed concern at reports that bodies were being held unless families stayed silent or gave false statements on the cause of death.

Sources close to the families of several people shot dead at protests over the past nine weeks have alleged that when they went to mortuaries to retrieve their bodies they came under pressure from security officials to go along with state media reports that they were bystanders or militiamen killed by “rioters”.

Other families have publicly accused security forces of killing their relatives, only then to go along with the official narrative on the causes of death in what sources have said were forced statements to state TV.