Remembering Neda Agha-Soltan who was extrajudicially executed 16 years ago in Iran

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." - Elie Wiesel, Nobel Lecture 1986

Neda Agha-Soltan ( January 23, 1983 – June 20, 2009 )

Sixteen years ago on June 20, 2009 in Tehran, in the midst of the Green Revolution an agent of the Iranian Islamic regime, a member of the Basij, shot and murdered Neda Agha-Soltan.

Neda was just 26 years old an aspiring singer. Her death was captured on video and went viral across the internet providing an image that brought home the reality of the violent crackdown visited on the nonviolent Green movement.

In Iran, the contested June 2009 election sparked an unprecedented wave of state-sponsored violence and repression. Thousands of peaceful protesters were beaten, arrested, tortured, and killed. One of them, Neda, was shot and killed during protests denouncing election fraud.

Neda’s death was captured on video and in those terrible moments reflected the great crime committed by the Iranian government against the people of Iran. Official numbers place the number of killed at 36 during the protests but the opposition places the dead at 72. In 2009 at least 270 people were hanged and in 2010 at least 12 so far. 4,000 have been arrested including journalists and reformist politicians.

Neda's fiance, Caspian Makan, left Iran and has spoken out all over the world on camera and in print to denounce the atrocity. I met Caspian and heard him speak at the 2nd Geneva Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance, and Democracy on March 9, 2010. It is powerful testimony. Below is an interview broadcast over Al-Jazeera in English.

Sixteen years later those responsible for this crime have yet to be brought to justice and the regime that carried out this brutal crime along with many others remains in power. It is precisely for these reasons that we must remember and continue to protest wherever and whenever possible to demand justice.

"Although Neda has been murdered and is dead, they are still afraid of her, they come to the graveyard and want to kill her again. She's dead but her memory is getting brighter and brighter every day." - Hajar Rostami (Neda's mother interviewed in The Guardian on June 11, 2010 )