Overview
- Angela Merkel read and publicly presented an anonymously authored book about Iran at the Berliner Ensemble to draw attention to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.
- Merkel said she first hesitated because she is no longer an active politician and has no operational way to affect Iran, but the book moved her to act with moral advocacy.
- The book, published under the pseudonym Nila, mixes street scenes, personal life and history to describe protests after Jina Mahsa Amini's death and to depict state violence and repression.
- Reporters say the author fled Iran in January and now lives in exile, a step taken for safety that underscores why anonymous testimony and external platforms matter.
- Speakers at the event warned that restricted internet access and brutal crackdowns have tried to erase protest testimony, so high-profile visibility is meant to keep victims heard and pressure public debate.