January 21, 2026
Bryony Gooch
The faces of hundreds of people killed during Iran’s violent crackdown on protests have been revealed in leaked photographs, the BBC reports.
Bryony Gooch
The faces of hundreds of people killed during Iran’s violent crackdown on protests have been revealed in leaked photographs, the BBC reports.
The images of bloodied, swollen
and bruised faces were photographed and displayed in a south Tehran mortuary,
believed to be one of the only ways families have been able to identify their
dead loved ones following the Islamic Republic’s brutal response to citizen
demonstrations.
At least 326 victims, including 18 women, could be seen in the photos identified by BBC Verify, which were too graphic to show without blurring. The broadcaster analysed 392 photos of close-up images taken of victims from inside the Kahrizak Foreign Medical Centre.
As many as 69 people had been labelled in Persian as John or Jane Doe, suggesting their identity was unknown when the photo was taken. Many of the victims were reportedly too disfigured to be identified.
Only 28 of the victims had labels with clearly visible names in the photos, the broadcaster reported.
More than 100 victims had labels showing that they had died on 9 January, believed to be one of the deadliest nights for protesters in Tehran so far.
A source told BBC Verify that victims as young as 12 or 13, and as old as 70 years-old, could be seen inside the mortuary complex.
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Iran in demonstration against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime as economic crisis deepens.
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late shah, has encouraged the nationwide protests which started in December.
US president Donald Trump, who has repeatedly threatened Iran over the protests, issued another stark warning to the regime on Tuesday that continued assassination threats made by leaders in Tehran would be met with the country getting “blown up.”
“Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up,” he told NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich on Tuesday.
Iran has, in turn, warned Trump not to take any action against Khamenei.
General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran's armed forces, said on Tuesday: “Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand but also we will set fire to their world.”
Almost two weeks have passed since Iran imposed a national internet blackout - a move which helps to hide atrocities, internet freedom watchdog Netblocks has said.
A small number of people have managed to get information out and these leaked photos appear to provide a small snapshot of the thousands believed to have been killed by Tehran’s regime.
Footage smuggled out of Iran, verified by The i, showed that girls as young as 16 had been killed in the violent government crackdown as distraught families searched among body bags in southern Tehran for their loved ones.
Hundreds of bodies were counted at the Kahrizak morgue where men and women search among the corpses for family and friends.
Messages sent via Starlink by protestors within Iran, seen by Independent Persian, describe a “war-like situation” ongoing in the country.
Amirhossein, a 35-year-old private-sector employee from the holy city of Mashhad, in the northeast of the country, told Independent Persian: “This is no longer a protest – it’s a war.
“The security forces are firing directly. No warning shots, no announcements. The wounded are being taken away on motorcycles and in private cars, because ambulances either don’t arrive or are full of security forces”.
Hengaw, which covers human rights violations in Iran, said: “What we are seeing in these leaked images is not only the scale of killing, but the deliberate stripping of dignity from the dead and the living alike.
“Families are forced to search among hundreds of bodies, examining the remains of people brutally killed one by one in order to identify their own loved ones, often in conditions designed to intimidate and silence them and without the right to mourn publicly or hold proper funerals. This amounts to a form of collective punishment.”
The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.
At least 326 victims, including 18 women, could be seen in the photos identified by BBC Verify, which were too graphic to show without blurring. The broadcaster analysed 392 photos of close-up images taken of victims from inside the Kahrizak Foreign Medical Centre.
As many as 69 people had been labelled in Persian as John or Jane Doe, suggesting their identity was unknown when the photo was taken. Many of the victims were reportedly too disfigured to be identified.
Only 28 of the victims had labels with clearly visible names in the photos, the broadcaster reported.
More than 100 victims had labels showing that they had died on 9 January, believed to be one of the deadliest nights for protesters in Tehran so far.
A source told BBC Verify that victims as young as 12 or 13, and as old as 70 years-old, could be seen inside the mortuary complex.
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Iran in demonstration against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime as economic crisis deepens.
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late shah, has encouraged the nationwide protests which started in December.
US president Donald Trump, who has repeatedly threatened Iran over the protests, issued another stark warning to the regime on Tuesday that continued assassination threats made by leaders in Tehran would be met with the country getting “blown up.”
“Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up,” he told NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich on Tuesday.
Iran has, in turn, warned Trump not to take any action against Khamenei.
General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran's armed forces, said on Tuesday: “Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand but also we will set fire to their world.”
Almost two weeks have passed since Iran imposed a national internet blackout - a move which helps to hide atrocities, internet freedom watchdog Netblocks has said.
A small number of people have managed to get information out and these leaked photos appear to provide a small snapshot of the thousands believed to have been killed by Tehran’s regime.
Footage smuggled out of Iran, verified by The i, showed that girls as young as 16 had been killed in the violent government crackdown as distraught families searched among body bags in southern Tehran for their loved ones.
Hundreds of bodies were counted at the Kahrizak morgue where men and women search among the corpses for family and friends.
Messages sent via Starlink by protestors within Iran, seen by Independent Persian, describe a “war-like situation” ongoing in the country.
Amirhossein, a 35-year-old private-sector employee from the holy city of Mashhad, in the northeast of the country, told Independent Persian: “This is no longer a protest – it’s a war.
“The security forces are firing directly. No warning shots, no announcements. The wounded are being taken away on motorcycles and in private cars, because ambulances either don’t arrive or are full of security forces”.
Hengaw, which covers human rights violations in Iran, said: “What we are seeing in these leaked images is not only the scale of killing, but the deliberate stripping of dignity from the dead and the living alike.
“Families are forced to search among hundreds of bodies, examining the remains of people brutally killed one by one in order to identify their own loved ones, often in conditions designed to intimidate and silence them and without the right to mourn publicly or hold proper funerals. This amounts to a form of collective punishment.”
The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.
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