Reports from inside Iran reveal that authorities are pressuring families of slain protesters to falsely claim their loved ones were regime paramilitary members killed by demonstrators. Testimonies collected by activists and shared with The Times of Israel describe a pattern of coercion, including demands for false confessions, forced payments for the return of bodies, and threats of violence or arrest against relatives who refuse to comply. Graphic accounts detail how security forces have targeted injured protesters in hospitals, raided homes, and used posthumous labeling to justify deadly crackdowns.

Activists say these tactics are intended to obscure the true scale and nature of the regime's violent response to unprecedented nationwide protests, which have resulted in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of arrests. Families are sometimes offered the bodies of their loved ones only if they accept the regime's narrative, while others face intimidation and public shaming. Amid ongoing internet shutdowns and heavy security presence, Iranians inside the country are pleading for international intervention and support, warning that the regime's repression has left them with no safe options for resistance.