"9 Apples, 9 Months Apart" campaign: mothers of the January uprising's martyrs speak of nine months of mourning

Nine months after the killing of protesters on 8 and 9 January 2026, the families of the January uprising's martyrs have launched a campaign called "9 Apples, 9 Months Apart". According to Iran International, in videos published on social media, mothers seeking justice place nine apples one by one in a bowl and speak of their longing, of the day their children died and of the days that have passed without them.

In the campaign, the nine months of waiting for a child's birth are set against the nine months of separation from that child after death. In Iranian culture the apple is a symbol of life, love and fertility, and in these videos it stands for the bond between birth and loss. The campaign aims to keep the names and memory of the martyrs alive and to turn the mothers' individual stories into a collective voice for justice.

The mothers who joined the campaign

According to Iran International, the mother of Parham Aghamohammadi, a 32-year-old who died in Tehran on 9 January, and the mother of Hamid Zare, 33, who died in Marvdasht on 8 January, were among the first participants. Hamid's mother said her son was taken from her by a bullet of war.

The mothers of Tania Abbasi, 21, Behnam Ebrahimian, Arash Yazdani, 27, and Amirhossein Emamjomeh have also joined the campaign. Atefeh Abed, 23, was killed in Mashhad on 9 January by direct fire from government forces. Ali Rahmani, known as Shahrokh, 25, died in his mother's arms in Hesar, Karaj, the same day; his mother said she is proud of her son, who went for his homeland.

With 9 apples, the mothers of the January martyrs remind society of nine months of mourning and the demand for justice.

Seeking justice under pressure

The campaign follows "One Candle, One Name, One Memory", held about a month ago, in which candles were lit and the names of the martyrs were read out. The families seeking justice are keeping their children's memory alive while the Islamic Republic continues to arrest, try and even execute the January protesters; among them, Reza Shoja-Mazarji, a teacher from Sarakhs, was sentenced to more than four years in prison, and Ali Zakani, a 19-year-old protester from Qazvin, is at risk of execution.

Sources

• Iran International