Blue Star Chronicles

Neda’s death photos have become the face of the Iranian revolution. Her murder was caught on video, the video and photos making their way around the internet with lightening speed. Those along with other videos and photos the people of Iran have been able to upload so the world can see their fight for freedom. Read about it and see the photos and videos below.

Neda, Iranian Revolution

Neda was a 27-year-old Iranian woman who went to the protests in Tehran, Iran earlier today with her professor and friends. Her full name is said to be Neda Agha Soltan (or Neda Soltani or Neda Salehi) and she was a philosophy student. She held a sign that simply said ‘Freedom’. She was shot, probably through the heart, and undoubtedly died before she was eased to the ground by the men who were standing near her. Someone caught the whole event on a cell phone and uploaded it to the internet. We can hear someone calling out her name and see the men attending her attempting to stop the bleeding from the wound in her chest. The attempts were obviously in vain. Her eyes rolled back and were fixated before the blood started spewing from her mouth and nose.

Many Iranian women are participating in the protests that have gripped Tehran and spread to other Iranian cities. Some are calling it the Lipstick Revolution. The reformist candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, promised more rights for women. He even had his wife appear in campaign commercials on his behalf. Something that is unheard of for a woman in Iran. In some ways Mousavi is an accidental revolutionary ideal. His campaign promises didn’t imply he’d bring that big of a change in Iran. But he’s the figure around which the hopes and dreams have formed for many in Iran. Including women like Neda.

There’s no way the young woman could have known it when she dressed and left for the protest, that she would be the face of the Iranian revolution before the day was over. The brutality of her death juxtaposed on her youthful, beautiful face has been too much to bear. It brought a human face to the struggle for freedom that the Iranian people are fighting even as I write this.

The Iranian people have written their protest signs in English, an obvious attempt to draw the attention of the West to their cause, America in particular. Its only reasonable that they would think that the United States would back them. The new American President, Barack Obama has given several speeches specifically to the Iranian people. His first official speech as President was to the Iranian people. Just last week, he went to Cairo and gave yet another speech to the Iranian people. He told them he wanted to communicate with them. He told them he wanted them to experience democracy and freedom. He gave them a message of ‘hope and change’ and led them to believe that he would back them should they want freedom.

In addition to the messages from Barack Obama, the Iranians are perfectly capable of looking around and seeing two neighboring nations that have the freedom to vote and democracy due to the efforts of the United States. Both Afghanistan and Iraq are enjoying unprecedented freedom courtesy of the blood of American Soldiers and the courage of an American President who put principle before politics. One can only imagine that the Iranians looked at that, listened to what the new American President has said to them and seized the moment to take freedom for themselves.

Instead of getting the support that they had every right to expect from Obama’s speeches, they have been treated to silence. Now that the revolution has started, Obama states he prefers to not interfere in their internal struggles. That’s not what he said before. He said he wanted to engage them in conversation. He said he wanted them to have freedom. Now that the rubber is meeting the road, he is quiet.

Then President John F. Kennedy had a similar experience with Cuban revolutionaries. That was called the Bay of Pigs. The Cubans still spit out Kennedy’s name for his refusal to follow through on his promises to help them. The Cuban revolutionaries were killed and Fidel Castro’s power was increased by Kennedy’s inaction.

Are these Iranian protests Obama’s Bay of Pigs? I don’t know. Time will tell.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said: ‘The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.’ Obama might want to give that some of his cautious thoughtful consideration while he remains neutral in this time of great moral conflict.

Obama’s silence is pointless. He, and the United States, will take blame regardless. That’s the way of the world. The big dog always gets blamed until he’s not the big dog anymore. In a press conference on Monday morning (Iranian time), the United States was blamed for having a ‘racial mentality’ towards Iran. Obama, you might as well stand on principle, you will be blamed regardless of what you do. At least then we could respect you.

While Neda and thousands like her were putting their very lives on the line for the sake, the hope, of freedom, Obama went out for ice cream with his daughters and spent time golfing. The White House twittered a bizarre account of the Obama’s trip to get ice cream. Yet another cute story of the cute Obama’s doing something cute. As long as they stay cute and we can get these precious little stories, all will be well, or so they seem to think.

Neda was buried today. The regime did not allow a memorial service for her.

The photos and videos below are extremely graphic. Please use your own judgment in viewing.

Neda Photos

Source of name and passport photo of Neda.