In brief
Recently leaked photos to BBC Verify depict the harrowing aftermath of Iran's crackdown on protests, showing the faces of at least 326 victims, many of whom were severely disfigured. With ongoing internet blackouts complicating information dissemination, these images represent a tragic insight into the violence faced by thousands during the protests. Only 28 victims in the images had identifiable names, highlighting the tragedy and anonymity of many victims amidst the chaos of state repression.
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 more than 100 victims, who had their date of death recorded, showed that date as 9 January, one of the deadliest nights for protesters in Tehran so far.
The city's streets were set on fire during clashes with security forces, with protesters chanting slogans against the supreme leader and the Islamic Republic. It followed a call for nationwide protests from Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late shah.
The leaked photos provide a small snapshot of the thousands believed to have been killed at the hands of the Iranian state.
BBC Verify has been tracking the spread of protests across Iran since they erupted in late December, but the near-total internet blackout imposed by the authorities has made it extremely difficult to document the scale of the government's violence against those who oppose it.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has publicly acknowledged several thousand people have been killed but blamed the US, Israel and those he described as seditionists. Despite the blackout entering its third week, a small number of people have managed to get some information out.
Hundreds of close-up images of victims taken from inside the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Centre were leaked to BBC Verify.
We analyzed 392 photos of victims and were able to identify 326 people - some had multiple pictures taken of them from different angles. Sources claimed the true number of dead at the mortuary ran into the thousands.
One source, who we are not naming for their safety, told us they weren't prepared for the level of devastation they encountered inside the mortuary complex, and said they saw victims ranging from as young as 12 or 13 to 60 and 70-year-olds...
Whether through verified videos shared online or reports from those fortunate enough to have access to the internet, the magnitude of the violence against protesters continues to unfold, depicting a dire situation within Iran's borders.
