Neda Agha Soltani, Iran protestors’ martyr

A girl filmed dying after being shot by a sniper has become the face of Iran’s pro-democracy movement

FIRST POSTED JUNE 22, 2009

Neda Agha Soltani, a 26-year-old Iranian woman killed during the protests in Tehran on Saturday, has become the face of the pro-democracy movement. Soltani's last moments were captured on film and have been broadcast across the world after the video was posted on Facebook.

The philosophy student was attending the demonstration with her father when she was shot in the chest by a sniper. The 40-second video shows her bleeding profusely before apparently dying in her father's arms.

The footage was uploaded on to the social networking website by an Iranian expat living in Holland, who claimed that it had been sent to him by a doctor in Tehran who had attempted to save the girl.

Within hours, stills of the video had been incorporated into posters and other protest material, some emblazoned with the words 'This is Islamic Democracy' over Neda's face.

This afternoon, riot police used tear gas and fired bullets into the air in order to break up a rally in Hafte Tir Square in the centre of Tehran. Some 1,000 opposition supporters had gathered to pay tribute to Neda Soltani, in direct contravention of the ban on demonstrations announced by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday.

FIRST POSTED JUNE 22, 2009

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Here're the pictures of the protest which was held in Atlanta, GA in front of the CNN Center on Saturday June 20, 2009: http://bit.ly/hCJuF

Posted by Eloxi at 5:52pm on June 22, 2009

Here dead lie we because we did not choose to live and shame the land from which we sprung. Life, it is true, is not a thing to gain. But young men think it is And we were young.

Posted by prziloczek at 5:17pm on June 24, 2009

Her murderer wll have to answer to Allah and may his vengeance be terrible.

Posted by Peter at 6:45am on June 25, 2009