Merkel reopens the file of Iranian women with an influential message from Berlin

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel drew attention to the issue of Iranian women during her participation in the book launch event, “In the Streets of Tehran,” by the Iranian writer who writes under the pseudonym “Neela,” at the Berliner Ensemble Hall in the capital, Berlin, according to what was reported by the German magazine “Spiegel.”

During the event, Merkel presented the book and warned of the need not to ignore the suffering of women and girls in Iran, stressing the importance of highlighting their struggle for freedom and human dignity in light of what she described as ongoing oppression. She said it is important for women in Iran to realize that they are not alone in this struggle.

Merkel indicated that she initially hesitated about participating in the event after moving away from political work, explaining that she no longer had any executive role or direct ability to influence developments inside Iran.

She added that she read the book in one sitting, and described its content as influential and inspiring, which prompted her to attend the event and highlight the message of the literary work.

According to Spiegel, the writer “Neila” is currently living in exile after leaving Iran this year, and she wrote her novel as a literary and political testimony about the protests that erupted within the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.

The book narrates details about the reality of repression and protest in Iran, and its impact on the daily lives of women, with a focus on forms of individual and collective resistance in the face of the restrictions imposed on them.

The work presents a mixture of personal narrative, history, and myth, highlighting the roots of the protest movement as an extension of decades of social and political tensions, rather than an isolated event.

The book was translated into German by the writer Asal Dardan, and was published by the Pfauencil publishing house, while the translator also participated in the event.

At the conclusion of her speech, Merkel said that reading the book brought her back to memories of her childhood in East Germany, where she likened the writer’s experience to the feeling of security she experienced within her family despite the political circumstances at the time, considering that the novel carried a deep human dimension that affected her personally.