Bangladesh, Jan. 21 -- Iranian authorities are facing grave allegations that security forces demanded large payments from families in exchange for returning the bodies of protesters killed during a recent nationwide uprising, according to testimonies shared during a brief and unusual break in the countrys near-total internet blackout. The claims, emerging from inside Iran during a short window of restored connectivity, add to mounting reports of an extensive and violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrations that may have claimed thousands of lives.

The allegations surfaced after a rare disruption in Irans 12-day communications shutdown allowed limited access to online messaging platforms. Protesters and residents used the fleeting ...