The video recording of the death of Neda Agha-Soltan in January 23, 1982 at the age of 27, attracted international attention after she was shot and killed during the 2009 Iranian election protests.
Bystanders and TV broadcasters captured her death on video over the Internet and the video became a uniting point for the reformist opposition. Nedā is a word used in Persian to mean "voice", "calling," or "divine message," and she has been referred to as the "voice of Iran." Her death became iconic in the struggle of Iranian protesters against what they said was the deceitful election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
On June 20, 2009, at around 6:30 p.m., Neda Agha-Soltan was driving with her music teacher and close friend in her Peugeot 206 in traffic on Kargar Avenue in the city of Tehran to participate in the protests against the results of the 2009 Iranian presidential election. When she stopped her car some distance from the main protests and got out on foot to escape the heat. She was casually standing and observing the sporadic protests in the area when she was shot in the chest.
She buckled to the ground and was tended to by a doctor, her music teacher, and others from the crowd while an amateur videographer captured what was happening.
In first anniversary memory of her, a short film about the death of Iranian post-election victim, Neda Agha-Soltan was posted on Internet social networking sites today but removed from You Tube after a short interval.
The video of the 27-year-old’s last moments bleeding to death on the street were posted on the web most recently in June 2010 creating worldwide rage against the Islamic Republic’s violent crackdown on peaceful protesters.
Now a British filmmaker, Anthony Thomas has shot a documentary about the life and death of Neda Agha-Soltan, which is narrated by award-winning Iranian actor, Shohreh Aghdashloo.
Anthony Thomas team took the challenge of shooting without a professional camera and completed their assignment. The documentary will debut in the U.S. at 9 p.m. ET Monday. Last week when it was aired in Iran, the government authorities is said to have interrupted the telecast by jamming the satellite signals.
