Disturbing video evidence emerging from Iran has revealed a grim accumulation of bodies at a mortuary facility south of Tehran, with human rights organizations identifying the deceased as victims of the government’s violent suppression of ongoing nationwide protests. The footage, which first surfaced online on Saturday and was subsequently geolocated and authenticated by AFP on Sunday, depicts dozens of corpses wrapped in black body bags lining the ground outside the Forensic Diagnostic and Laboratory Center of Tehran Province in Kahrizak.
The visual documentation shows what appear to be grieving family members searching through the remains for missing relatives, creating a harrowing scene of collective mourning. The emergence of this evidence coincides with a near-total internet blackout imposed by authorities, which activists say has been used to conceal the true scale of violence against demonstrators.
Norway-based monitoring groups have sounded alarms about the footage’s implications. Iran Human Rights (IHR) stated the video provides visual confirmation of ‘a large number of people killed during the nationwide protests in Iran.’ Simultaneously, the Hengaw Organization reported verifying footage showing ‘dozens of bloodied bodies both inside and outside the Kahrizak mortuary,’ which they characterize as evidence of ‘an extensive and severe crime.’
Security forces stand accused of employing live ammunition against protesters during two weeks of sustained demonstrations, with activists fearing the death toll may already number in the hundreds. The mortuary footage represents the first tangible evidence emerging from behind the information blockade, suggesting a significantly higher casualty count than officially acknowledged.