An investigation by BBC News Persian has confirmed the identities of over 200 individuals who lost their lives during the Iranian government's violent response to the recent protests that swept the nation.

Through a thorough examination of social media, authenticated video footage, and eyewitness testimony, the project has compiled a detailed record of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of protesters, as well as personal information about the victims.

Sources with close ties to the victims provided the BBC with numerous accounts, which were then corroborated with data from reputable human rights groups to ensure accuracy.

According to figures released by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 6,872 protesters have been killed since the unrest began in late December, with the toll including more than 150 children under the age of 18.

While Iranian officials have admitted that a minimum of 3,000 people were killed, they also claim that some of the fatalities were security personnel, although the exact number of such cases has not been specified.

A collection of images and details about the victims, as verified by BBC News Persian, is available on the BBC News Persian website, with text presented in Persian.

Mansoureh Heydari and her husband, Behrouz Mansouri, were among the fatalities. According to a friend of the family who spoke to BBC News Persian, the couple participated in a protest in Bushehr, located in southwestern Iran, where they were fatally shot by security personnel on January 8.

Security forces fired upon a group of protesters who had gathered outside a mosque, as reported by eyewitnesses. Behrouz suffered a fatal head wound, while Mansoureh, who had initially attempted to flee, returned to her husband's side and was also shot.

The couple succumbed to their injuries and died together in the street, leaving behind two young children, aged 8 and 10. After a four-day delay, their bodies were released by security forces and buried in adjacent graves.

A family member noted that the couple's actions were seen as a source of pride, as they had given their lives for their country. However, the family now faces intense security scrutiny and lives in a state of fear.

The project showcases a diverse group of individuals, with a significant proportion being young adults, primarily between the ages of 17 and 30.

On 9 January, 17-year-old Ghazal Damarcheli, an art student, was fatally shot near her family's residence in Karaj, a city located west of Tehran.

According to a source familiar with the family, they faced continued harassment even after Ghazal's death, as security personnel denied them permission to hold a local burial, resulting in her being laid to rest in a distant cemetery, far removed from her family's home.

Also on the same evening, Negin Ghadimi, a 28-year-old biotechnology student, lost her life.

Negin Ghadimi had defied her father's warnings to remain indoors, instead choosing to participate in protests in Tonekabon, a city approximately 200km (125 miles) north of Tehran.

According to a family source, security forces fired on the crowd, striking the individual on the side. As she succumbed to her injuries in her father's arms, her final words were: "Dad, I'm burning."

The project's findings were compiled through a multi-step process, involving interviews with numerous sources within Iran, whose identities have been withheld to ensure their safety.

The BBC team verified the identities and protest involvement of individuals by scrutinizing their social media activity and online presence, then cross-referenced this information with open-source data from within Iran to confirm the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Examination of funeral footage and memorial images yielded crucial details, including the time, location, and circumstances of each death.

Further identification of individuals was made possible by analyzing footage from morgues, such as the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Centre, which received many bodies from Tehran and the surrounding areas.

Internet, mobile phone, and landline services were severely disrupted on 8 January, at the peak of the protests, when the Iranian government imposed a near three-week blackout, significantly hindering the flow of information.

Despite these challenges, BBC News Persian managed to gather and verify reports of protester fatalities by leveraging Starlink, a satellite network operated by Elon Musk, and gathering firsthand accounts from Iranians who had travelled to the country's borders to access signals from neighbouring countries.

An interactive memorial, featuring photographs of identified victims, has been developed by the BBC Visual Journalism team for the BBC News Persian website, allowing users to delve into the stories behind each image by clicking on individual profiles.

As the verification process progresses, the team intends to expand the project, incorporating additional profiles and stories of victims as more information becomes available.