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Warning: This article contains graphic details that readers may find disturbing.
Harrowing images reveal scale of Iran crackdown
Hundreds of photographs smuggled from a Tehran mortuary show the bloodied and battered faces of at least 326 people killed during Iran's recent anti-government protests. The images, obtained by BBC Verify, offer rare evidence of the violent suppression as families search for missing loved ones.
Mortuary chaos as families seek answers
Inside the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Centre, relatives huddled around a screen displaying a slideshow of the dead, many too disfigured to recognize. Of the 392 images analyzed, 69 victims were labeled as unidentified, while only 28 bore legible names. One source described the scene as overwhelming, with ages ranging from early teens to elderly individuals.
"It was just too much. Some faces were so swollen you could barely see their eyes," said an unnamed witness who visited the mortuary.
Deadliest night captured in records
Over 100 victims had 9 January recorded as their date of death-one of the bloodiest nights in Tehran's protests. Security forces clashed with demonstrators after exiled royal Reza Pahlavi called for nationwide action. Videos verified by BBC Verify show burnt vehicles and gunfire echoing through the capital.
Government blames foreign interference
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged "several thousand" deaths but attributed them to the U.S., Israel, and "seditionists." Meanwhile, the near-total internet blackout has crippled efforts to document casualties. Human rights groups estimate over 4,000 deaths, though official figures remain elusive.
Families left with fragments of identity
Some bodies were identified only by bank cards or handwritten notes in unzipped body bags. Witnesses recounted scenes of grief as families confirmed identities, with some collapsing upon recognition. Disturbing videos from the mortuary, too graphic to publish, show a child's body and a man with a gunshot wound to the head.
Protests spread despite crackdown
Since protests erupted on 28 December, demonstrations have been verified in 71 Iranian cities. Social media posts naming victims occasionally slip through via Starlink or neighboring networks, but such opportunities are rare. The government's blackout persists into its third week, leaving the full death toll unknown.
