$3,000 'bullet fee' charged by Iran before family can get their dead son back

[babylonsister]

Son's Death Has Iranian Family Asking Why

By FARNAZ FASSIHI


TEHRAN—The family, clad in black, stood at the curb of the road sobbing. A middle-aged mother slapped her cheeks, letting out piercing wails. The father, a frail man who worked as a doorman at a clinic in central Tehran, wept quietly with his head bowed.

Minutes before, an ambulance had arrived from Tehran's morgue carrying the body of their only son, 19-year-old Kaveh Alipour.

On Saturday, amid the most violent clashes between security forces and protesters, Mr. Alipour was shot in the head as he stood at an intersection in downtown Tehran. He was returning from acting class and a week shy of becoming a groom, his family said.

The details of his death remain unclear. He had been alone. Neighbors and relatives think that he got trapped in the crossfire. He wasn't politically active and hadn't taken part in the turmoil that has rocked Iran for over a week, they said.

"He was a very polite, shy young man," said Mohamad, a neighbor who has known him since childhood.

When Mr. Alipour didn't return home that night, his parents began to worry. All day, they had heard gunshots ringing in the distance. His father, Yousef, first called his fiancée and friends. No one had heard from him.

At the crack of dawn, his father began searching at police stations, then hospitals and then the morgue.

Upon learning of his son's death, the elder Mr. Alipour was told the family had to pay an equivalent of $3,000 as a "bullet fee"—a fee for the bullet used by security forces—before taking the body back, relatives said.

more...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124571865270639351.html#mod=todays_us_page_one

[newfie11]

1. The whole world has gone insane n/t

[ejpoeta]

2. one could hope that this bs is enough to piss everyone off over there and keep them

strong. what is wrong with these people!! they kill the kid and then want the family to PAY THEM money!!! that is such bullshit.

[rurallib]

3. It is almost like we have become an absurdist's fondest dreams

Even the Onion couldn't imagine insanity like this.

[Turbineguy]

4. Sounds like that government

has been taking lessons from Palin.

[RandomThoughts]

5. I don't believe the article 3000$ sounds a bit like manufactured news

But because it could be true, and the loss of any life is tragic, it would be sad if true.

[babylonsister]

6. You're not there, are you. Maybe the government is 'setting an example',

trying to discourage any other 'protesters' even though this young man wasn't one.

[RandomThoughts]

7. What does this mean "You're not there, are you."

I am not concerned with what they do, but the article did not sound real.

[dkf]

8. The source looks good to me.

Its not like its some tabloid or anything.

[RandomThoughts]

9. Well then its another anomoly that seems odd. n/t

Why does a Middle East News source, write an article in US dollars.

[dkf]

10. Maybe the Wall Street Journal converted it?

[RandomThoughts]

13. Then why not a simpler amount?

If it was punative and so much, why was it 30,330,000
3,000 US Dollar = 30,330,000 Iranian Rial

People making up an amount for punative measures should logically pick a simpler number.

Like 30,000,000 Somewhere someone fudged something in the article.

[Statistical]

11. Maybe because this is the ENGLISH version of the article and predominant ENGLISH currency is the $.

Generally when US media articles are translated into other languages the currency is translated also.

If it said 2.7 million Rial would you have any clue what that was before checking a currency translator.
If you had no access to a currency translator at the time then what?

[RandomThoughts]

14. Looked it up on currency calculator.

http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic

Does not seem genuine to me, might be. Just my guess.

3,000 US Dollar = 30,330,000 Iranian Rial

[Obamanaut]

12. Looks like the fee was waived.

<snip>Mr. Alipour told officials that his entire possessions wouldn't amount to $3,000, arguing they should waive the fee because he is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war. According to relatives, morgue officials finally agreed, but demanded that the family do no funeral or burial in Tehran. Kaveh Alipour's body was quietly transported to the city of Rasht, where there is family.<snip>

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124571865270639351.html

same article

[Birthmark]

15. The Iranian government must buy their bullets in the USA.