Songs of revolution and hope filled the air as attendees stood in solidarity with Iranian community members.
On Jan. 8, from 5 to 6 p.m., approximately 50 members of the Queen’s community gathered around the Amir Moradi Memorial tree behind Douglas Library to honour the victims of Flight PS752. The Ukrainian International Airlines plane was shot down shortly after takeoff from Tehran, Iran, in 2020, killing all 176 people on board. Among them were 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents, including Queen’s student Amir Moradi.
Six years after the fatal crash, the Iranian Association of Queen’s University (IAQU) continues to honour Moradi’s memory along with those who were lost with an annual remembrance ceremony.
During the ceremony, Moradi’s tree was surrounded by small candles, while songs such as “Baraye” by Shervin Hajipoor filled the air.
Co-presidents of IAQU, Aila Payroveolia, ArtSci ’27 and Sara Hosseinifard, ArtSci ’28, welcomed those in attendance with Hosseinifard, alongside speaker Ashkan Rashvand, Sci ’28, delivering a speech in both Farsi and English commemorating the importance of the memorial and standing in solidarity with Iranians.
Payroveolia and Hosseinifard handed out red and white roses to those who attended to place around the tree. In a statement to The Journal, Payroveolia and Hosseinifard shared that the red roses symbolized deep respect, while the white roses represented innocence. They added that the memorial ceremony goes beyond just remembering the tragedy of Flight PS752 but is about standing up for those still being oppressed under the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“As the Iranian Association at Queen’s University, our remembrance is linked to a larger struggle for justice and fundamental human rights in Iran. We remember Amir and the victims of PS752 within the context of the ongoing, systematic oppression faced by the Iranian people. Our gathering is an act of defiance against that oppression and a declaration of our goal: a free Iran,” Payroveolia and Hosseinifard wrote.
Additionally, Payroveolia and Hosseinifard spoke to the internet blackout that Iranians are currently facing at the hands of their government as a tool of oppression.
“These nationwide internet shutdowns and pervasive censorships isolate individuals, severing vital connections within communities and with the outside world. This information blackout often occurs during times of crisis, obscuring the truth and leaving families in anguish, unable to confirm the safety of loved ones or share their experiences,” they wrote.
The internet blackout stems from the government’s response to protests in Iran, which are ongoing as of Dec. 28. The demonstrations erupted amid widespread civilian discontent with the government and ongoing political and economic instability following the collapse of the national currency.
According to the co-presidents, coming together as a community demonstrates a rejection of the oppression the Iranian people are currently facing.
“In gathering, we reject the isolation imposed upon the Iranian people and stand in solidarity with all those denied safety, truth, and liberty. We remember because to forget is to be complicit. ‘Your silence means supporting oppression and the oppressor,’ Hosseinifard and Payroveolia wrote.
After Moradi had passed, his parents, in collaboration with Queen’s, created the Amir Moradi Memorial Bursary in his memory. Alongside the bursary, the remembrance ceremony will continue as an annual event hosted on Jan. 8.
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