It’s a technique pioneered by the Soviets: one last pound of flesh extracted from the victim’s family as further punishment for ‘forcing’ the state to oppress the victim. In 2009, shortly after clashes between Iranian security forces and protesters, the family of 19-year-old Kaveh Alipour learned that to retrieve the remains of their son, they had to pay an equivalent of a $3,000 “bullet fee” to reimburse the Iranian government for the costs of shooting Alipour. It’s a technique pioneered by the Soviets: one last pound of flesh extracted from the victim’s family as further punishment for “forcing” the state...