Neda was killed on June 20 in Tehran
July 30 marks 40 days since the death of 27-year-old
Neda Agha Soltan, who has become a symbol of Iran's brutally suppressed "Green
movement" protesting the results of last month's presidential election. Neda was
shot dead during a peaceful protest on June 20 in Tehran, and the video of her
bleeding to death on the street has been watched by millions of people around
the world. RFE/RL's Radio Farda broadcaster Roya Karimi talked with Neda's
mother.
RFE/RL: Please tell us about the day Neda
died.
Agha Soltan: Neda and I used to go to the demonstrations. Neda got
suddenly involved in this issue and it was very interesting to her. We went out
together for one week, then on [that] Saturday she asked me to go out again, but
since I have some [health problems] I could not go with her. I asked her not to
go because [the protests] that day [seemed] dangerous and I was worried about
her, but she did not accept [my worries] and she left home at 4 p.m.
We were in touch by phone twice and I asked her where she was and what was she
doing. She said the police were using tear gas, and that she had escaped to
smaller streets and was heading to the car. In fact, the distance between the
spot where she was shot to her car was about 26 steps.
Her uncle had the last contact with Neda at 5:50 p.m. He asked her where she
was. She said there was tear gas [in the air] and that she and her friends were
using cigarettes to stop the effect of the tear gas. We did not have any contact
with her anymore until 6:30 p.m., when her teacher rang me from Shariati
Hospital and asked me to go there because Neda had been shot.
|
Neda was killed on
June 20 in Tehran |
RFE/RL: What did you see when you got
there?
Agha Soltan: Because I was alone at home, I called Hoda and Mohammad,
Neda's sister and brother, to go to hospital. They got there before me. When I
got there I saw Hoda. Neda was in a very bad shape. Her teacher told me she was
shot in her leg, but I saw her clothes were fully covered with blood from top to
bottom. It was like her clothes had been washed in blood.
I asked [Neda's teacher], "Tell me what's happened to my Neda?" He said she was
shot in her shoulder...[inaudible]. In fact, Neda had died on the way to
hospital and they took her to hospital to take care of the legal process of her
death.
I begged them to let me see my child but because they did not want to tell me
directly [what had happened], they said she needs an operation. Then they told
Hoda's husband. Then someone told me that she was dead. I actually found out
from [seeing] Hoda's face. And [then] she told me, "Mom, Neda is dead." And then
I lost consciousness.
RFE/RL: When did they give her body to you?
Agha Soltan: I came home and we did not sleep until the morning. The
legal processing was done by Hoda's husband. They cooperated with us. At 3 a.m.
they called us and said that Neda's body was going to go to the coroners in
Kahrizak, [which is] close to the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery. Neda's father, with
some of our relatives, went there at 8 a.m., and they gave us Neda's body at 2
p.m., and she was buried before 3 p.m.
RFE/RL: It has been said that you were not allowed to hold a mourning
ceremony for Neda. Is that right?
Agha Soltan: We were not told anything about the mourning ceremony but
when we asked for permission to have a ceremony at Nilufar mosque on the third
day after her death, they said, "We can't give you a mosque." Then we applied
for Imam Jafar Sadeq mosque, and it was agreed, but because I was concerned for
the [young people] who would want to [come], I canceled the whole ceremony. Then
we asked Behesht Zahra for the seventh day of her death and they said that they
needed approval for it, and they rang us and said, "We cannot get approval for
that."
RFE/RL: What is your plan for the 40th day since Neda's death?
Agha Soltan: We will just visit her grave at 4 p.m.
RFE/RL: The video of Neda's last moments has been viewed by millions of
people around the world and provoked an international reaction. What was your
reaction when you saw it for the first time?
Agha Soltan: Can you believe that I haven't seen it yet? They haven't
let me watch it, whenever I want to see it [family members] don't let me, but I
know it is very painful and moving. Whenever Neda's brother Mohammad watches the
video, he starts to cry every time.
Translation from Farsi by Mazyar Moffi
Copyright (c) 2009 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
... Payvand News - 07/30/09 ... --
Bookmark/Share this post with:
Delicious |
Digg |
Facebook |
Furl |
Google |
Magnolia |
Newsvine |
Reddit |
Yahoo
