Iran: Neda becomes a symbol for the protesters

neda3The Iranian protest movement now has a symbol and a face: Neda.

Neda was an Iranian woman who was shot dead by Basij militia on Saturday during a protest of thousands against the Iranian presidential election results that declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad president. Her death was captured on video by bystanders and uploaded to the internet. She died with her eyes wide open, and her last moments transcended citizen media to mainstream media, reaching millions of people.

A website has been dedicated to Neda, named We are all Neda. A quote on the homepage says, “We did not throw rocks at them, we cried ‘we want freedom’. They shot us.” Both Iranians and non-Iranians are leaving comments in memory of Neda on the site. So far, there are nearly 3,500 and the numbers are growing rapidly.

neda2

Mahyar says: “I wish my eyes could have learned from yours to be open bravely!!!”

Reza says: “Your open eyes taught me a lesson: ‘Don’t close your eyes to injustice'”

Mojtaba says: “Neda will never die, everyone of us could one day be a Neda”

Vida says: “Your light is shining the way towards freedom. Thank you.”

Iranian blogger Andisheh writes that Iranian national television are trying to blame ‘anti-revolutionaries’ for killing Neda. The blogger adds that if anybody had any doubts that Iranian television lies, these doubts can now be put to rest.

Here is a video film on Neda and the Iranian protest movement (Warning: some images are very graphic)

In a very short time, Neda's death became an international news story and people responded in different ways to show their sympathy.

Here is a song for Neda from an American singer on YouTube, Johnny Maudlin (Johnny99) (Persian subtitles were added by another user):

… and another by traveling American musician, Roothub:

Blogger Asad Ali Mohamadi, writes [fa] that his neighbours in Copenhagen, Denmark, are asking him about Neda, and that as soon as you turn on the television and internet you see news about Iran and Neda. “All talk about my Iran, our Iran. All talk about my Neda, our Neda,” he says.

Cecilia Morales tweeted, “We were not born to be slaves. We are human beings, God Bless you Neda, God Bless the Iranian people who want to live in freedom.”

Atefeh Walters tweeted, “I will fight for my country always!! I will never forget Neda!!”

Zannevesht, a blogger and journalist refers [fa] in her blog to Neda's death and says courageous Iranian women and girls have been present in this protest movement.

There were candlelight vigils for Neda in many cities around the world.

From New York:

To Dubai:

28 comments

  • Seen a Video
    From the Web
    Oh the Shedding
    Tears
    My heart bled
    Hurting
    People I seen
    Made me feel
    Like Steam
    Like a Kettle
    Boiling through
    Whistling Pain
    Pressure to
    In my heart
    Hurting Sorrows
    All my parts
    Times were
    Dark Indeed
    People protested
    A crooked deed

    One Girl with
    Father
    On the Streets
    In Persia
    Neda and her Abba
    He was crying
    For his Daughter

    Innocence Hurt
    Hard To Understand
    Pains of
    The Grief Stricken
    Heart
    When it comes to
    The Loosing
    Of Family
    Parts
    Be they
    Young or Old
    It hurts
    The heart
    In ways that’s
    Old
    When God calls
    A loved one home
    Broken hearts
    Is Left
    To Hold

    My heart cries
    For Neda’s Father’s
    Tear stricken Eyes
    His Heart Sieved
    For pain God
    Is giving Him
    HIS tears
    That we Need
    To remind us who
    We be

    Our Hearts
    Grief
    Is breaking
    In Pain Father is
    Feeling today
    The Hurting
    For those
    Departed
    To God’s care
    Our loved ones who
    Are taken
    To God’s Heavenly
    Lair

    It’s a fragile
    Crystal vase
    Pumping life
    From God’s grace
    Breaking into
    Many parts
    From wretched
    Throbbing from
    Beating Parts
    When a loved
    Ones spirit
    Does Depart
    Called home
    By HIS love
    For all HIS
    Many Parts

    Woe be the
    Broken Hearted
    Those
    Left Behind
    Loved ones
    So Filling
    Cry when
    Someone dies
    Afraid of the
    Pain it holds
    When Anger
    Rips into young
    And Old
    For the
    Dreams of the
    Loved Soul
    The Breaking
    Of Days
    When The Lord’s love
    Takes hold

    When your heart
    Burns apart
    From the pain
    About to depart
    Inferno inside Us
    Chambered parts
    Pouring out
    Of the
    Burning heart

  • Nivan

    есть и другие мнения:
    http://nstarikov.ru/blog/1184

    • SwanAlma1

      I have never read so much uninformed drivel in my life. You obviously know nothing about Iran and its history nor do you seem to care. Suggesting that this revolt is fomented by the West, and in such a provocative way – as if you’re letting the rest of us in on some secret – is the most intellectually lazy, paranoid and reductionist reaction to all of this. Such reactions have been laughed straight out of town, and rightly so, outside of Khamenei’s circle and apparently now Russian psuedo-intellectual circles. You can congratulate yourselves.

  • […] Global Voices Online » Iran: Neda becomes a symbol for the protesters globalvoicesonline.org – “All talk about my Iran, our Iran. All talk about my Neda, our Neda,” he says. Cecilia Morales tweeted, “We were not born to be slaves. We are human beings, … […]

  • Abraham Sadegh

    It is incredible!

    Had Neda Agha Sultan lived a thousand years, she might not have become immortal as her untimely death has made her.

    Had Neda lived a thousand years, she might not have had the universal impact she had on millions of human being who through her death might have experienced the inhumanity of a system whose response to an innocent voice seeking legitimate justice and freedom is the silence of death through a bullet.

    I am originally from Iran and I shall for ever remember Neda as if she were my own daughter.

  • History tells us that Neda will live on forever. May Neda rest in peace.

  • […] is a creation for Neda in FaceBook by […]

  • Mercedes Fol-Okamoto

    Neda was with a male companion, her music teacher but the sniper chose to shoot her, the woman, through the heart. This was an anti-woman hate-crime, a violation of human rights and international law. If one is religious, which–thank God, I am not, one needs to look into the heart and ask why men attack women, the peace-makers. Violence is a mental-illness disease, a disruption of the normal humanity of all people. The world must start talking about the need to quell violent impulses, to calm the fires of reflexive hate. Are the men who kill mourning something lacking in themselves? Why do we not speak to killers and ask them what insane hatred makes them act so inhumanely?

  • […] Right wing media (Sarmaye Newspaper) claim that a BBC reporter has paid someone to shoot Neda so that they could record the incident. Cancel this […]

  • […] 9.20am: More on Neda Soltan: Global Voices has a round-up of the songs, poems, websites and video tributes to Neda. […]

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