Memorial for protesters killed in Iran: ‘Let their voices be heard’

In the entrance hall of the Aula, two women embrace each other warmly. Next to them is a long table with white tulips, white candles, and dozens of black-bordered photos. These photos are of Iranian protesters who were killed. One of the women is TU employee Shima Rajabali (EWI faculty). This Monday, together with EWI employee Bahareh Abdi, she is holding a memorial service for all those killed during the protests in Iran.

Because the internet is blocked in the country, it is unclear what the situation is now. Estimates of the death toll also vary widely. According to the US-based human rights organization Human Rights Activists News Agency, 3,919 people have been killed in the protests so far, but there are also estimates that are higher.

Rajabali and Abdi have printed out about 80 photos. Rajabali: “Because there have been so many deaths, we had to make a selection ourselves. These are mainly people who were killed before or shortly after the start of the internet blackout. Their deaths are better documented than those of protesters killed after the digital blackout since January 8th.”

Friends and family members

Rajabali and Abdi, for example, chose Zohreh Fazeli, who looks confidently into the camera with her long black hair and lipstick. Iranian security forces shot her dead during a demonstration on January 9 in the city of Bushehr. “We want the protesters’ voices to be heard, we want to share their names. We want the world to know that they fought for freedom.”

The internet blockade makes it difficult for Iranians to maintain contact with family members and friends who still live in the country. Despite repeated attempts, Abdi and Rajabali also have little contact with their families. It is hard for them. “It’s terrible to hear about all those deaths. I’m doing my best at work, but I find it difficult to perform as well as I did before the protests started,” says Rajabali.

Visitors to the memorial can leave a message on a bulletin board behind the table. “For freedom fighters in Iran, your courage lives on,” someone has written, for example. The memorial table is very busy on Monday around 11:30 a.m. Three of Abdi’s colleagues have also come. “I follow the situation on the news and try to ask more often than usual how Bahared (Abdi, ed.) is doing,” says colleague Martin Schumacher. “We are here to support her. That’s the least we can do.”