A referee and a student are among hundreds of people reportedly killed during massive anti-government protests in Iran.
Coach Amir Mohammad Koohkan, 26, was hit by live ammunition on 3 January during protests in the town of Neyriz, his friend told BBC Persian.
Everyone knew him for his kindness, they said, adding his family is grieving and angry because he was killed by the regime.
Five days later, student Rubina Aminian, 23, was shot from behind during a protest in Tehran, according to human rights groups. She fought for things she knew were right, her uncle told CNN.
Nearly 500 protesters and 48 security personnel have been killed in two weeks of protests, a US-based rights group says.
Sources in Iran have told the BBC the death toll is likely higher than reported. Demonstrations began on 28 December over economic issues and have spread to 186 cities and all 31 provinces, according to the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA).
The protests have grown into the largest in years, with calls for an end to the Islamic Republic and the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The protests led to a government crackdown, with at least 10,600 people reportedly arrested and 496 protesters killed, according to HRANA. Medical staff in Iran have described hospitals overwhelmed with dead and injured patients, with significant evidence of the scale of the casualties.
Both Koohkan and Aminian stood out as symbols of the young people's desire for change in Iran.
Koohkan was described as a beloved figure in his community, remembered for his kindness, while Aminian was a courageous student advocating for women's rights.
The Iranian authorities have taken a brutal stance against demonstrators, and the protests are rekindling memories of previous uprisings in the region.
