Mahsa Amini's Father Vows to Commemorate First Anniversary of Daughter's Death

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest following the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran, near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye(File photo: Reuters)
Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest following the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran, near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye(File photo: Reuters)
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Mahsa Amini's Father Vows to Commemorate First Anniversary of Daughter's Death

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest following the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran, near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye(File photo: Reuters)
Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest following the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran, near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye(File photo: Reuters)

Amjad Amini, the father of Mahsa Amini, confirmed that he will commemorate the first anniversary of the killing of his daughter next Saturday, despite the threats he received from the Iranian authorities.

According to information published by Iran International on Thursday, Amjad was summoned to the Intelligence Office in Saqqez several times in the past two days and asked not to commemorate the first anniversary of his daughter’s killing.

They warned the family against holding events on the first anniversary of his daughter's death. Mahsa’s father vowed to go ahead with commemorations at Mahsa's grave.

According to the information, he was interrogated for hours and pressured to cancel the invitation to commemorate the anniversary. He stressed: “I did not accept this at all, and we will hold the ceremony.”

Last week, Mahsa’s parents wrote a post on Instagram saying like any grieving family, they will gather to commemorate the anniversary and will uphold their traditional and religious ceremonies.

Earlier, security forces detained and transferred Mahsa’s uncle to an undisclosed location.

On Tuesday, the regime forces arrested Safa, Mahsa Amini’s maternal uncle, from his home.

In the past five months, as the anniversary of the Iranian protests approached, regime forces arrested at least 80 members of families demanding justice.

Recently, several reports claimed regime armed forces have deployed in Kurdish cities in Iran.

Reports also indicated that security measures have been tightened throughout Iran, especially in the provinces of Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) established checkpoints in Sanandaj in the Kurdistan province.

The Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights reported “thousands” of IRGC special units sent to Amini's hometown of Saqqez, military vehicles deployed, and illegal checkpoints erected in Sanandaj.

Mahsa fell into a coma last year after being arrested by the morality police, and news of her death was published on September 16 in Kasra Hospital.

Hours after her death, several gathered in front of the hospital in protest, and during her funeral, a wave of protests broke out against the Iranian regime.

In the following days, the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement was formed after protests spread throughout the country.

According to human rights organizations, at least 570 citizens were killed in the protests, during which the regime’s armed forces attacked the demonstrators.

Thousands were arrested and sent to prison for participating in or supporting the protests.

Despite the Iranian regime's efforts to suppress protests, several organizations and groups called to organize marches and strikes throughout the country.

Gohar Eshghi, the mother of the 35-year-old blogger Sattar Beheshti, who was killed by the Iranian regime, called on the Iranian people to remember the young people who sacrificed their lives for the country.



Trump Says it Might Be Better to Let Ukraine and Russia 'Fight for a While'

05 June 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
05 June 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
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Trump Says it Might Be Better to Let Ukraine and Russia 'Fight for a While'

05 June 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
05 June 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia “fight for a while” before pulling them apart and pursuing peace.

In an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump likened the war in Ukraine — which Russia invaded in early 2022 — to a fight between two young children who hated each other.

“Sometimes you’re better off letting them a fight for a while and then pulling them apart," Trump said. He added that he had relayed that analogy to Russian President Vladimir Putin in their phone conversation on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.

Asked about Trump's comments as the two leaders sat next to each other, Merz stressed that both he and Trump agreed “on this war and how terrible this war is going on,” pointing to the US president as the “key person in the world” who would be able to stop the bloodshed.

But Merz also emphasized that Germany “was on the side of Ukraine” and that Kyiv was only attacking military targets, not Russian civilians.

“We are trying to get them stronger,” Merz said of Ukraine.

Thursday's meeting marked the first time that the two leaders sat down in person. After exchanging pleasantries — Merz gave Trump a gold-framed birth certificate of the US president's grandfather Friedrich Trump, who immigrated from Germany — the two leaders were to discuss issues such as Ukraine, trade and NATO spending.

Trump and Merz have spoken several times by phone, either bilaterally or with other European leaders, since Merz took office on May 6. German officials say the two leaders have started to build a “decent” relationship, with Merz wanting to avoid the antagonism that defined Trump's relationship with one of his predecessors, Angela Merkel, in the Republican president's first term.

The 69-year-old Merz — who came to office with an extensive business background — is a conservative former rival of Merkel's who took over her party after she retired from politics.

A White House official said topics that Trump is likely to raise with Merz include Germany’s defense spending, trade, Ukraine and what the official called “democratic backsliding," saying the administration's view is that shared values such as freedom of speech have deteriorated in Germany and the country should reverse course. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the discussions.

But Merz told reporters Thursday morning that if Trump wanted to talk German domestic politics, he was ready to do that but he also stressed Germany holds back when it comes to American domestic politics.