Killing of Neda Agha-Soltan
Neda Agha-Soltan (Persian: ندا آقاسلطان – Nedā Āghā-Soltān; 23 January 1983 – 20 June 2009) was an Iranian student of philosophy, who was participating in the 2009 presidential election protests with her music teacher, and was walking back to her car when she was fatally shot in the upper chest.
Neda Agha-Soltan
20 June 2009 (aged 26)[1]
Tehran, Iran
35°43′08.6″N 51°23′30.6″E / 35.719056°N 51.391833°E
Behesht-e Zahrā cemetery, southern Tehran
Iranian
Islamic Āzād University (second semester of Theology)[3][4]
Family's travel agency[5]
Death during the 2009 Iranian election protests
Known as generally apolitical
Eyewitnesses are reported by Western sources as saying Agha-Soltan was shot by a militiaman belonging to Basij paramilitary organization.[6][7][8] Her death was captured on video by bystanders and broadcast over the Internet, and the video became a rallying point for the opposition. Agha-Soltan's death sparked renewed protests against the disputed election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[9]
Etymology[edit]
Nedā (ندا) is a word used in classical Persian and modern Persian[10] to mean "voice", "calling" (sometimes understood as a "divine message", but this is not the etymological sense of ندا), and she has been referred to as the "voice of Iran".[11][12][13]
Alleged killer[edit]
The man accused by opposition sources of killing Agha-Soltan was identified as Abbas Kargar Javid, a Basij government militiaman, after photographs of the Basiji's ID cards appeared on the internet, according to The Times.[48] Opposition critics and pro-government sources allege that Western intelligence agencies carried out the shooting.[49][50][43]