In brief
BBC Verify has obtained hundreds of graphic images depicting the victims of the Iranian government’s violent suppression of protests, showing the faces of at least 326 individuals, including both men and women. The visual evidence was gathered from a mortuary in Tehran, presenting a severe challenge for families seeking to identify their loved ones amid the turmoil. Amidst the ongoing internet blackout, the leaked images signal an alarming death toll, with estimates suggesting thousands have died since protests erupted in late December.
Warning: this story contains graphic content which some readers might find distressing
Hundreds of photos revealing the faces of those killed during Iran's violent crackdown on anti-government protests have been leaked to BBC Verify.
The pictures, which are too graphic to show without blurring, reveal the bloodied, swollen, and bruised faces of at least 326 victims - including 18 women. The images, displayed in a south Tehran mortuary, are one of the only ways families have been able to identify their dead loved ones.
Many of the victims were too disfigured to be identified, and 69 people had been labelled in Persian as John or Jane Doe, suggesting their identity was unknown when the photo was taken. Only 28 of the victims had labels with clearly visible names in the photos.
Labels on over 100 victims indicated a date of death of January 9, which was noted as one of the deadliest nights for protesters in Tehran thus far.
The city's streets were engulfed in flames during clashes with security forces, as protesters voiced slogans against the supreme leader and the Islamic Republic, following a call for nationwide protests from Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late shah.
The leaked photos provide a harrowing glimpse into the thousands believed to have been killed by the Iranian state.
BBC Verify has been tracking the online spread of protests across Iran since then, despite the severe internet blackout imposed by authorities, complicating efforts to document the extent of the violence against dissenters.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has acknowledged that thousands have died but has laid blame on external actors like the US, Israel, and those he labels as seditionists. The true nature of the unrest and its toll remains obscured by the government's tactics to maintain control and suppress information.
