Thaindian News

New York, June 22 (ANI): The death of Neda, which means “voice” in Farsi, has become the central rallying cry of the Iranian protests that followed the disputed presidential election.

Iranian state media has confirmed 17 deaths as a result of the protests. But one death, a woman by the name of Neda, has stood out to protesters and to the world.

Neda was shot at a protest in Tehran, and her shocking and quick death in the arms of her howling father was captured on close up video, now widely circulated on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other sites.

The fresh-faced teenage girl killed by what appears to be a single sniper shot on the streets of Tehran Saturday is now a potent symbol for Iran’s pro-democracy protesters.

“RIP Neda, the world cries seeing your last breath,” was one of a flood of messages on Twitter.

“They killed Neda, but not her voice,” read another. “Neda is everyone’s sister, everyone’s daughter, everyone’s voice for freedom,” said a third.

Within hours of her death, posters of the girl’s face, open-eyed and bloody, were being brandished by demonstrators in Los Angeles and New York City, the Daily News reported.An Iranian expatriate in Holland said that a doctor friend in Tehran, who tried to save the girl, sent the video to him.

He identified her as Neda Soltani, a 16-year-old philosophy student. A Facebook group created to mourn her calls her “The Angel of Iran.”In Tehran on Sunday, the streets were quiet for the first time in a week, but the city was bracing for more unrest today when thousands are expected to mourn the girl’s death. (ANI)