One Twitter user hails her as “Neda the Divine.” Another vows: “You’ll be remembered as innocent blood, shed for the people of Iran.”
“Such a beautiful young lady to have been subjected to the slings and arrows of a corrupt Islamic regime,” laments a Facebook page, one of more than 50 established in her memory from Britain and Romania to Australia and Malaysia.
Five days after a bullet cut down Neda Agha Soltan on a Tehran street — and grainy videotape that captured her bleeding to death was viewed by millions on YouTube — the Internet is awash in tens of thousands of poems, prayers and tearful tributes.
Soltan, 27, has become an undisputed icon in the bloody struggle between Iran’s ruling clerics and opposition protesters challenging the regime over a presidential election they contend was rigged.
To many, she was an innocent bystander — a senseless victim of hard-liners’ excessive use of force.
To some, she is a martyr whose death must be avenged.
“I’ll stain my hands with that (expletive)’s blood! He will meet his “God”!!! one recent tweet raged. “Neda, we will have your revenge,” said another.
[More]
Updates:
8:22 am EDT, June 26th, 2009 — Iranian cleric calls for punishment of riot leaders
8:35 am EDT, June 26th, 2009 — Iranian envoy: CIA involved in Neda’s shooting?
12:23 pm EDT, June 26th, 2009 — Lieberman, McCain Push to Help Iran
1:09 pm EDT, June 26th, 2009 — Jailed Iran reformists ‘tortured to confess foreign plot’
3:19 pm EDT, June 26th, 2009 — The Iranian “Thugocracy” Continues Crackdown
3:28 pm EDT, June 26th, 2009 — Iran’s Neda shows citizen journalism unleashed
Not to be shallow, but Neda’s a good looking woman and that’s only going to help draw sympathy to the cause. The protest organizers will need it, now that clerics are calling for their exectuion.
If the clerics make that mistake Iran will truly end up in the dark ages as all the money leaves the country and places like China and Russia suddenly find themselves out of business with the west because of support for the gang of thieves now in power.
Many will scream “that will never happen”. I wouldn’t bet ten cents on that thought.
It isn’t Neda’s death that is important. It is the power of the idea that caused it and as Iran ends up like Somalia in the days ahead (which it will if it does not change course) Neda will be vindicated. If I were a cleric in Iran right now I would not feel safe at all.
Agreed, and they probabaly don’t feel safe. The more astute among them probably see themselves in the anger of those protesters. Now the clerics are “The Shah”
Indeed and this quiet time is misleading.
When the protestors come back again (and they will) things are going to get very nasty.
It’s open season on two legged deer caught in the headlights.