Leaked images from inside the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Centre in south Tehran show rows of the deceased photographed for identification. BBC Verify’s review of 392 pictures identified 326 individuals, including 18 women; at least 69 were marked as unknown and only 28 showed clearly legible names. Policy Wire is not publishing the images due to their distressing nature. (independent.co.uk)
Videos from the same site, assessed by Amnesty International, show families scanning a slideshow on a monitor to locate loved ones; in footage posted on 11 January, the on‑screen counter reaches 250. Amnesty’s analysis of five clips identified at least 205 distinct body bags inside the Kahrizak complex. (amnestyusa.org)
Tags visible in the leaked photographs record more than 100 deaths on 9 January, described by witnesses as one of the deadliest nights in Tehran since the unrest escalated. (independent.co.uk)
The information flow is constrained by a near‑total internet shutdown that began on 8 January. Network monitors reported a “digital blackout”, with Cloudflare Radar data indicating a 98.5% collapse in IPv6 availability and NetBlocks confirming nationwide disruption across multiple providers. (thenationalnews.com)
Protests that began on 28 December 2025 have spread across numerous cities. From exile, Reza Pahlavi called for evening demonstrations and subsequent actions, a call echoed across social media despite connectivity blocks. (euronews.com)
Casualty estimates vary widely under blackout conditions. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports a death toll exceeding 4,500 and more than 26,000 arrests, while Iranian state television has acknowledged thousands of deaths. On 17 January, Associated Press reported Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had said the protests left “several thousand” dead and blamed foreign actors. (apnews.com)
Additional footage from Tehran‑area facilities corroborates the scale of fatalities. Amnesty reports families searching among body bags at Behesht Zahra Cemetery and counts at least 120 body bags in one video, alongside earlier clips from Alghadir Hospital showing multiple bodies. (amnestyusa.org)
International human rights standards provide a clear legal frame. Iran is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects freedom of expression (Article 19) and peaceful assembly (Article 21). UN Human Rights Council Resolution 47/16 condemns internet shutdowns; the Council’s Special Rapporteur has described blanket shutdowns as disproportionate. UNESCO reiterated these positions on 20 January 2026. (tbinternet.ohchr.org)
For officials and humanitarian actors, the blackout has immediate operational effects: it impedes next‑of‑kin notifications, complicates chain‑of‑custody for evidence, and frustrates independent monitoring. Amnesty International has called for urgent global diplomatic action and the immediate restoration of full connectivity. (amnestyusa.org)
The leaked images and verified videos do not on their own reveal the full scale of the crackdown, but they establish a minimum count of identified victims in Tehran and corroborate accounts of mass casualties during the 8–9 January period. With network access still curtailed, authoritative figures will depend on continued documentation and safe channels for sharing evidence. (thenationalnews.com)