Tag Archives: neda

Police Tear-Gas Mourners Who Gather 40 Days After Neda’s Horrific Death

Nikki DowlingJuly 30, 2009 //

Remember that horrific video of an Iranian woman being shot to death during the post-election violence in Iran? Well, her name was Neda Agha-Soltan and today hundreds of people gathered by her grave to mourn the 40th day since her death, an important Shiite mourning tradition. The Iranian government didn’t want any services to be held for the girl, and when mourners showed up, things got out of hand. Riot police ordered Iranian opposition leader Mir Hussein Moussavi to leave the ceremony, and then two prominent filmmakers were taken to task for laying flowers by the girl’s grave. When the mourners got angry, the cops busted out wooden batons and tear gas. Iranians moved outdoors, but police were out in force there as well. The government has told people they aren’t allowed to have any formal ceremonies for this poor girl. Which makes me so crazy angry, I don’t know what to say. Let people mourn in peace! [NY Times] Keep reading »

All About Neda Agha-Soltan

Kate Torgovnick/Kate-Book.comJune 23, 2009 //

Yesterday, we showed you the extremely disturbing video of an Iranian woman, Neda, being shot at a protest in Tehran. At the time, not much was known about her—who she was, why she was at the protest, or even if her name was really Neda. But today, the details are emerging. We now know that Neda’s last name was Agha-Soltan, and that she was only 26 years old. She majored in philosophy, but even though women in Iran aren’t allowed to sing in public, she secretly took lessons and wanted to be a pop singer. In fact, she was with her voice coach when she died. The two had gone to the protest, but as it started to turn violent, headed back to their car. When Neda stepped out to get a breath of fresh air (the car had been roasting in the sun all day) she was shot, most likely by a sniper on top of a building. [NY Times] Keep reading »

Is Turning Neda Into An Icon The Answer?

Amelia McDonell-ParryJune 23, 2009 //

Yesterday we posted about Neda, the Iranian woman who was gunned down during protests in Tehran this weekend. Her brutal death was caught on camera and posted on YouTube, and many websites, including The Frisky, have posted it. She’s been deemed the “face” of the opposition movement in Iran, particularly representative of the women who have been at the forefront of the protests against the results of the corrupt presidential election. But some are wondering if Neda’s martrydom is appropriate and just. Keep reading »

I Am Neda: Could This Be The Birth Of A New Iranian Revolution?

Justine FieldsJune 22, 2009 //

It’s been 10 days since the controversial election in Iran. And ever since, Iranian women have been protesting in full force for a fair election. But on Saturday night, a devastating video began circulating the internet that showed a young woman, Neda, dying after being shot in the heart at a protest in Tehran.

Warning: The video after the jump is extremely graphic and unsettling. It shows Neda falling in a big pool of blood. Another video making the rounds on the web shows her face, blood streaming out of her nose and mouth and her gaze completely blank. Keep reading »