Remembering Neda
http://frontpagemag.com/2010/06/28/remembering-neda/
June 20, 2010 marked the sad one year anniversary of the death of Neda Agha Soltan at the hands of the ruling Iranian regime. She was 26 and passionate about life, albeit, not very political. Last year’s fraudulent elections that kept Ahamdinejad as president of Iran, stirred Neda enough to join others in demonstrations against the Islamist regime. It pained her to see the curtailment of freedom and gross injustices against her people, and she paid with her life for that simple and pure act of defiance. Her image, captured on a cell-phone camera as she bled to death on a Tehran street, has made Neda the symbol of the Green revolution and the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom.
Caspian Makan, 38, was Neda’s fiancé. He and Neda had planned to marry this summer. A film director, photographer and journalist, Caspian wrote three books, which were confiscated by the Islamic regime. “They wanted me to blame the west for Neda’s death, and I refused,” Caspian said, in an interview this author recently had with him. Following the elections, Caspian decided to take his camera to the streets and documented the regime’s brutality. He said:
The dictatorial Islamic regime in Iran came to power through lies and by spilling the people’s blood. For more than 30 years, its leaders have deprived the youth and the women of their basic human rights, and have resorted to inhumane treatment of the general public under the disguise of religion. Imprisonment, torture, rape, and murder of thousands of people buried in unmarked graves are evidence of the regime’s crimes.
He added, “To insure its survival and to serve its own interests, the regime uses intense censorship, confines the media, and arrests intellectuals, such as professors, students, journalists, artists, lawyers, and even those who work within its own system. As a result of these practices, Iran – a country with a beautiful history – has been transformed into a large prison.”
Caspian argues that the leaders of the Iranian regime are not satisfied with the crimes they have committed in order to stay in power. “They have collaborated with other similar regimes to embark on international terrorist attacks in order to disrupt the security in the region. It has become increasingly apparent that the Islamic regime is hatching a plan for world domination.” According to Caspian, “The Iranian people’s problem has turned into an international problem that needs the help and support of people everywhere.” As Caspian puts it, “The emancipation of the Iranian people from despotism is the key to freedom, peace and stability for all people around the world.”
Asked whether the Green Movement has lost its steam, Caspian points out that some of the leaders of the Green Movement are supporting the regime “behind the dark curtains.” These individuals, according to Caspian, are the “reformers” who ignore the Iranian people’s demands and care only about power. However, Caspian added, “With every passing moment the awareness of the Iranian people increases, while the regime’s power decreases and comes closer to its destruction.” Caspian predicts that the Iranian people will win their demands for a free Iran before the end of Ahmadinejad’s presidency, and perhaps as early as next year.
And what about the role President Obama played in the Iranian drama? Caspian responded rather emphatically by saying, “Unfortunately, unlike previous U.S. presidents, Obama has not declared a clear and explicit position against the tyrannical regime of Iran. The Iranian people expected him to take firm and effective action against the ruling regime in light of the people’s wrath over the election fraud and the brutal repression that followed.”
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