""Above all, we have seen
courageous women stand up to brutality and
threats, and we have experienced the searing
image of a woman bleeding to death on the
streets. While this loss is raw and painful,
we also know this: those who stand up for
justice are always on the right side of
history." -President Barack Obama, June 23, 2009
Below is the story of the writer Paulo
Coelho's dear friend who tends to Neda's last
moments. I post this in full from Paulo's
site to help refute the lies coming from the
hardliners in Iran. Please read for yourself
this narrative told through emails between
Paulo and the doctor .
The Doctor Published by Paulo Coelho on June 24, 2009
(Late Sunday I watch Neda’s video. I suspect
that I recognize Arash Hejazi, but I prefer
not to believe in what I am seeing. I send
him and email)
Sunday 21 23:011
Dear Arash I need to know where you stand, if things
that I am seeing/reading are true. Then I can
myself take a position - depending on your
advice, of course. love Paulo
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:05:05 -04:00 Subject: your country
Dearest Paulo, I am now in Tehran. The video of Neda’s
murder was taken by my friend, and you can
recognize me in the video. I was the doctor
who tried to save her and failed. She died in
my arms. I am writing with tears in my eyes.
Please don’t mention my name. I’ll contact
you with more details soon. Love Arash
(At this point, I decide to put the video in
my blog) (For the rest of the day, I try to contact
him. At one point, someone answers his phone
as a “CNN journalist”. I start to become
worried)
Monday 22 17:46 Dear Arash so far, no news from you. After I published
the video in my blog, it seems that it spread
worldwide, including posts in NY Times,
Guardian, National Review, etc. Therefore, my main concern now is about you.
You NEED to answer this email, saying that
you are all right and the name of the person where we spend the New
Year’s Eve in 2001 together, just to be sure
that it is you really who is answering this
email. I don’t buy this CNN person answering
your mobile. If you don’t do that, I may leak your name to
the press, in order to protect you -
visibility is the only protection at this
point. I know this because I am a former
prisoner of conscience. If you do that, unless instructed otherwise
by you, I will stop the pressure for the
moment. My main concern now is you and your
family. love Paulo P.S. - there are several trusted friends in
blind copy here.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 1:35 AM
Dearest Paulo I am alright for now. I am not staying at
home. I don’t know about CNN. The friend’s
name was Frederick. Love Arash
Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 1:37 AM
Dearest Paulo, Trying to leave the country tomorrow morning.
If I don’t arrive in London at 2 pm.,
something has happened to me. Till then,
wait. My wife and my son are in (edited). Their
phone (edited) Her email (edited) Please wait till tomorrow. If something
happens to me, please take care of (name of
wife) and (name of son), they are there,
alone, and have no one else in the world. Much love, it was an honor having you as a
friend. Arash
(At this point, a Brazilian journalist, Luis
Antonio Ryff, who traveled to Iran to cover
my visit, recognizes Arash in the video, and
writes me to double-check. I confirm, but I
ask him to keep his name secret until today.
Ryff agrees – even knowing that this would be
a major scoop for him. I would like to thank
him here, for his dignity)
Below is an article from The Guardian giving
details on how Ahmadinejad's Government has
forced Neda Agha Soltan's family from their
home in Tehran. I am posting the article in
full because of the heavy censorship in place
in Iran. The world must bear witness to the
injustice taking place now:
Neda Soltan's family forced out of home' by
Iranian authorities
A correspondent in Tehran guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 June 2009 18.00
BST
The Iranian authorities have ordered the
family of Neda Agha Soltan out of their
Tehran home after shocking images of her
death were circulated around the world.
Neighbours said that her family no longer
lives in the four-floor apartment building on
Meshkini Street, in eastern Tehran, having
been forced to move since she was killed. The
police did not hand the body back to her
family, her funeral was cancelled, she was
buried without letting her family know and
the government banned mourning ceremonies at
mosques, the neighbours said.
"We just know that they [the family]
were forced to leave their flat," a
neighbour said. The Guardian was unable to
contact the family directly to confirm if
they had been forced to leave.
The government is also accusing protesters of
killing Soltan, describing her as a martyr of
the Basij militia. Javan, a pro-government
newspaper, has gone so far as to blame the
recently expelled BBC correspondent, Jon
Leyne, of hiring "thugs" to shoot
her so he could make a documentary film.
Soltan was shot dead on Saturday evening near
the scene of clashes between pro-government
militias and demonstrators, turning her into
a symbol of the Iranian protest movement.
Barack Obama spoke of the "searing
image" of Soltan's dying moments at his
press conference yesterday.
Amid scenes of grief in the Soltan household
with her father and mother screaming,
neighbours not only from their building but
from others in the area streamed out to
protest at her death. But the police moved in
quickly to quell any public displays of
grief. They arrived as soon as they found out
that a friend of Soltan had come to the
family flat.
In accordance with Persian tradition, the
family had put up a mourning announcement and
attached a black banner to the building.
But the police took them down, refusing to
allow the family to show any signs of
mourning. The next day they were ordered to
move out. Since then, neighbours have
received suspicious calls warning them not to
discuss her death with anyone and not to make
any protest.
A tearful middle-aged woman who was an
immediate neighbour said her family had not
slept for days because of the oppressive
presence of the Basij militia, out in force
in the area harassing people since Soltan's
death.
The area in front of Soltan's house was empty
today. There was no sign of black cloths,
banners or mourning. Secret police patrolled
the street.
"We are trembling," one neighbour
said. "We are still afraid. We haven't
had a peaceful time in the last days, let
alone her family. Nobody was allowed to
console her family, they were alone, they
were under arrest and their daughter was just
killed. I can't imagine how painful it was
for them. Her friends came to console her
family but the police didn't let them in and
forced them to disperse and arrested some of
them. Neda's family were not even given a
quite moment to grieve."
Another man said many would have turned up to
show their sympathy had it not been for the
police.
"In Iran, when someone dies, neighbours
visit the family and will not let them stay
alone for weeks but Neda's family was forced
to be alone, otherwise the whole of Iran
would gather here," he said. "The
government is terrible, they are even
accusing pro-Mousavi people of killing Neda
and have just written in their websites that
Neda is a Basiji (government militia) martyr.
That's ridiculous – if that's true why don't
they let her family hold any funeral or
ceremonies? Since the election, you are not
able to trust one word from the
government." A shopkeeper said he had
often met Soltan, who used to come to his
store.
"She was a kind, innocent girl. She
treated me well and I appreciated her
behaviour. I was surprised when I found out
that she was killed by the riot police. I
knew she was a student as she mentioned that
she was going to university. She always had a
nice peaceful smile and now she has been
sacrificed for the government's vote-rigging
in the presidential election."
Superlicious!!!. Bravo! Congrats! BEAUTIFUL ART WORK.....
Cette excellente photo a été vue parmis les
photos de mes contacts. This excellent picture was seen in my
contacts pictures. Este excelente imagen se ha visto en mis
contactos imágenes Questa foto è stata eccellente visto nei miei
contatti immagini
Below I have posted the full text from the
BBC, again to help circumvent the massive
censorship and lies coming from the
government in Iran:
Thursday, 25 June 2009 19:13 UK
Iran doctor tells of Neda's death
"We heard a gunshot. Neda was standing a
metre away from me... I saw blood gushing out
of her chest"
The doctor who tried to save an Iranian
protester as she bled to death on a street in
Tehran has told the BBC of her final moments. Dr Arash Hejazi, who is studying at a
university in the south of England, said he
ran to Neda Agha-Soltan's aid after seeing
she had been shot in the chest. Despite his attempts to stop the bleeding she
died in less than a minute, he said. Dr Hejazi says he posted the video of Ms
Soltan's death on the internet and images of
her have become a rallying point for Iranian
opposition supporters around the world. He also told how passers-by then seized an
armed Basij militia volunteer who appeared to
admit shooting Ms Soltan. Dr Hejazi said he had not slept for three
nights following the incident, but he wanted
to speak out so that her death was not in
vain. He doubted that he would be able to return to
Iran after talking openly about Ms Soltan's
killing.
Neda Agha-Soltan was shot in the chest "I was there with some friends because
we had heard that there were some protests
and we decided to go and take a look,"
he said. "Anti-riot police were coming by
motorcycles towards the crowd." Dr Hejazi said he saw Ms Soltan, who he did
not know, with an older man who he thought
was her father but later on learned was her
music teacher. "Suddenly everything turned crazy. The
police threw teargas and the motorcycles
started rushing towards the crowd. We ran to
an intersection and people were just
standing. They didn't know what to do. "We heard a gunshot. Neda was standing
one metre away from me. I turned back and I
saw blood gushing out of Neda's chest. "She was in a shocked situation, just
looking at her chest. The she lost her
control. "We ran to her and lay her on the
ground. I saw the bullet wound just below the
neck with blood gushing out. "I have never seen such a thing because
the bullet, it seemed to have blasted inside
her chest, and later on, blood exiting from
her mouth and nose.
Ms Soltan has become a rallying point for
protesters around the world "I had the impression that it had hit
the lung as well. Her blood was draining out
of her body and I was just putting pressure
on the wound to try to stop the bleeding,
which wasn't successful unfortunately, and
she died in less than one minute." Dr Hejazi said he first thought the gunshot
had come from a rooftop. But later he saw protesters grab an armed man
on a motorcycle. "People shouted 'we got him, we got
him'. They disarmed him and took out his
identity card which showed he was a Basij
member. People were furious and he was
shouting, 'I didn't want to kill her'. "People didn't know what do to do with
him so they let him go. But they took his
identity card. There are people there who
know who he is. Some people were also taking
photos of him." Dr Hejazi said he knew he was putting himself
in jeopardy by talking about what happened. "It was a tough decision to make to come
out and talk about it but she died for a
cause. She was fighting for basic rights... I
don't want her blood to have been shed in
vain." He added: "She died on the streets to
say something." Dr Hejazi said he did not believe he could
now return to Iran. "They are going to denounce what I am
saying. They are going to put so many things
on me. I have never been in politics. I am
jeopardising my situation because of the
innocent look in her (Neda's) eyes.
Kader Abdolah, Dutch-Iranian poet, writer and
columnist, translated version Dutch-English
by me:
Neda
Than a video film appeared, a girl, a young woman who was demonstrating with her father. The father had grey hair, the girl long black
hair, she was wearing jeans and gym shoes.
Suddenly she tottered, and shouted something, her father turned around and than blood on
the screne. A few boys took the girl en helped her on her
back. You only saw her legs and gym shoes.
You saw now her eyes closing softly and her
father crying with all his power in Persian
calling to the girl: "Keep looking at me. Don't close your
eyes. Don't. Don't, Don't. "
And then blood was running out her mouth and
her nose, and her eyes kept lost and surprised. The
people were shouting: Stay, stay, don't
go".
She tried, but the bullet had done its job, blood was streaming over the asphalt and her eyes closed.
I was dead too, a moment together dead with
her. No, I was not allowed to be dead, devastated I shaked her, together with her
father, and we shouted: "Wait! Stay!"
Her name was Neda!
Tomorrow in Iran thousands of young people
will go onto the streets in very dangerous circumstances to
commemorate her.
The Iranian people in the Netherlands will
commemorate her in The Hague.
Kader Abdolah's poem is moving and so real. These lines cut so deep: "I was dead too, a moment together dead
with her. No, I was not allowed to be dead, devastated I shaked her, together with her
father, and we shouted: "Wait! Stay!"
Thank you for your e-mail Greg. We will do a feature post with this painting
at Artists for Freedom. Once again thank you so much! Together we can make a difference!
Such a tragedy. We can't even imagine what
many are having to endure every day, living
without freedom, knowing you will die if you
don't follow the rules. You've honored Neda
and called attention to the problem. Thank
you. There is much ignorance in the USA
towards Middle Easterners....whether they are
Muslim or Christian and we need to spread the
word about the truth of what is going on.
Thank you for your tenderness towards a
wonderful people. Such a beautiful portrait!
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Comments and faves
Feroze Alam, :i M 6 o O o 6 a 7:™, JEShiok Photography, harrystaab, and 24 other people added this photo to their favorites.
Feroze Alam (48 months ago | reply)
Beautiful.
GreggChadwick (48 months ago | reply)
Thanks feroze,
""Above all, we have seen courageous women stand up to brutality and threats, and we have experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death on the streets. While this loss is raw and painful, we also know this: those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history."
-President Barack Obama, June 23, 2009
:i M 6 o O o 6 a 7:™ (48 months ago | reply)
So Beautiful !
May God Rest you in Peace Neda
milad.r (48 months ago | reply)
thank you very much
--
Seen in some comments. ( ?² )
deep dreams happy new year (48 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called *SHARING ART*( POST 1,COMMENT 3)*Sweeper Active*, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
massimo ankor (48 months ago | reply)
Quare religio pedibus subiecta vicissim
opteritur, nos exaequat victoria caelo.
deep dreams happy new year (48 months ago | reply)
Sharing Art Award!
Seen in the artistic pool: Sharing Art!
GreggChadwick (48 months ago | reply)
Neda Agha Soltan is buried at Behesht Zahra.
Her lot is 32 41 257
Please put a flower on her grave.
♣Cleide@.♣ (48 months ago | reply)
beautiful!
Sharing Art Award!
Seen in the artistic pool: Sharing Art!
harrystaab (48 months ago | reply)
Very good. Thank you for sharing.
GreggChadwick (48 months ago | reply)
Below is the story of the writer Paulo Coelho's dear friend who tends to Neda's last moments. I post this in full from Paulo's site to help refute the lies coming from the hardliners in Iran. Please read for yourself this narrative told through emails between Paulo and the doctor .
The Doctor
Published by Paulo Coelho on June 24, 2009
(Late Sunday I watch Neda’s video. I suspect that I recognize Arash Hejazi, but I prefer not to believe in what I am seeing. I send him and email)
Sunday 21 23:011
Dear Arash
I need to know where you stand, if things that I am seeing/reading are true. Then I can myself take a position - depending on your advice, of course.
love
Paulo
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:05:05 -04:00
Subject: your country
Dearest Paulo,
I am now in Tehran. The video of Neda’s murder was taken by my friend, and you can recognize me in the video. I was the doctor who tried to save her and failed. She died in my arms. I am writing with tears in my eyes. Please don’t mention my name. I’ll contact you with more details soon.
Love
Arash
(At this point, I decide to put the video in my blog)
(For the rest of the day, I try to contact him. At one point, someone answers his phone as a “CNN journalist”. I start to become worried)
Monday 22 17:46
Dear Arash
so far, no news from you. After I published the video in my blog, it seems that it spread worldwide, including posts in NY Times, Guardian, National Review, etc.
Therefore, my main concern now is about you. You NEED to answer this email, saying that you are all right
and
the name of the person where we spend the New Year’s Eve in 2001 together, just to be sure that it is you really who is answering this email. I don’t buy this CNN person answering your mobile.
If you don’t do that, I may leak your name to the press, in order to protect you - visibility is the only protection at this point. I know this because I am a former prisoner of conscience.
If you do that, unless instructed otherwise by you, I will stop the pressure for the moment. My main concern now is you and your family.
love
Paulo
P.S. - there are several trusted friends in blind copy here.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 1:35 AM
Dearest Paulo
I am alright for now. I am not staying at home. I don’t know about CNN. The friend’s name was Frederick.
Love
Arash
Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 1:37 AM
Dearest Paulo,
Trying to leave the country tomorrow morning. If I don’t arrive in London at 2 pm., something has happened to me. Till then, wait.
My wife and my son are in (edited). Their phone (edited) Her email (edited)
Please wait till tomorrow. If something happens to me, please take care of (name of wife) and (name of son), they are there, alone, and have no one else in the world.
Much love, it was an honor having you as a friend.
Arash
(At this point, a Brazilian journalist, Luis Antonio Ryff, who traveled to Iran to cover my visit, recognizes Arash in the video, and writes me to double-check. I confirm, but I ask him to keep his name secret until today. Ryff agrees – even knowing that this would be a major scoop for him. I would like to thank him here, for his dignity)
Wednesday 24
1:55 PM
Arash landed in London
More at:
paulocoelhoblog.com/2009/06/24/the-doctor/
GreggChadwick (48 months ago | reply)
The home of Neda Agha Soltan in Tehran, Iran
Below is an article from The Guardian giving details on how Ahmadinejad's Government has forced Neda Agha Soltan's family from their home in Tehran. I am posting the article in full because of the heavy censorship in place in Iran. The world must bear witness to the injustice taking place now:
AtomicJukebox.com (48 months ago | reply)
Let's pray that Neda's sacrifice was not in vain.
The Raha (48 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called آرامگاه ندا آقاسلطان, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Nastassia Davis [www.nastassiadavis.com] (48 months ago | reply)
May her soul rest in peace....
mika53 Busy catching up on my invitations. (48 months ago | reply)
Superlicious!!!. Bravo! Congrats!
BEAUTIFUL ART WORK.....
Cette excellente photo a été vue parmis les photos de mes contacts.
Icon Glitter
This excellent picture was seen in my contacts pictures.
Este excelente imagen se ha visto en mis contactos imágenes
Questa foto è stata eccellente visto nei miei contatti immagini
Shubnum Gill (47 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called ART WOMEN post 1 and comment any 1, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Please join us!!
ART WOMEN
...your EXCELLENT Artwork
describes ART WOMEN,
and deserves an AWARD!!!
GreggChadwick (47 months ago | reply)
Below I have posted the full text from the BBC, again to help circumvent the massive censorship and lies coming from the government in Iran:
LovelybrownBoots_the artist (47 months ago | reply)
lovely!
quite a treasure.
Chandra Siri (47 months ago | reply)
ART WOMEN
I LOVE your EXCELLENT Artwork!
Seen in the group
ART WOMEN
Touareg ... voyage (47 months ago | reply)
A good work! GRATULATION! For a sad moment!
www.JudithsArt.de
Sirbonetta (47 months ago | reply)
bel ritratto!
GreggChadwick (47 months ago | reply)
A Poem for Neda Soltan
by Simin Behbahani, Iran's national poet
Frits1942 (47 months ago | reply)
Kader Abdolah, Dutch-Iranian poet, writer and columnist, translated version Dutch-English by me:
Neda
Than a video film appeared,
a girl, a young woman
who was demonstrating with her father.
The father had grey hair, the girl long black hair,
she was wearing jeans and gym shoes.
Suddenly she tottered, and shouted something,
her father turned around and than blood on the screne.
A few boys took the girl en helped her on her back.
You only saw her legs and gym shoes.
You saw now her eyes closing softly and her father crying with all his power in Persian calling to the girl:
"Keep looking at me. Don't close your eyes.
Don't. Don't, Don't. "
And then blood was running out her mouth and her nose,
and her eyes kept lost and surprised. The people were shouting: Stay, stay, don't go".
She tried,
but the bullet had done its job,
blood was streaming over the asphalt
and her eyes closed.
I was dead too, a moment together dead with her.
No, I was not allowed to be dead,
devastated I shaked her, together with her father,
and we shouted: "Wait! Stay!"
Her name was Neda!
Tomorrow in Iran thousands of young people will go onto the streets
in very dangerous circumstances to commemorate her.
The Iranian people in the Netherlands will commemorate her in The Hague.
GreggChadwick (47 months ago | reply)
Frits,
Kader Abdolah's poem is moving and so real.
These lines cut so deep:
"I was dead too, a moment together dead with her.
No, I was not allowed to be dead,
devastated I shaked her, together with her father,
and we shouted: "Wait! Stay!"
Thank you for posting this important work.
Geotypografika (47 months ago | reply)
Beautiful work, Greg. I would love to include this on Geotypografika?
sam_alcaphone (47 months ago | reply)
Lets keep their memory alive and not let the government dishonour their names:
www.iranian-heroes.org
Artists for Freedom (47 months ago | reply)
Thank you for your e-mail Greg.
We will do a feature post with this painting at Artists for Freedom.
Once again thank you so much!
Together we can make a difference!
Fernando at Artists for Freedom
Artists for Freedom
IranMap (47 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called IranMap - گروه ایران مپ, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
GreggChadwick (47 months ago | reply)
Please visit :
artists4freedom.net/2009/07/paintings-for-ira n/
necadova (46 months ago | reply)
The face is pure, magnificent
Jonkersart (22 months ago | reply)
Beautiful painting!
inekeoriginal (17 months ago | reply)
Fantastic! Well done!
twistedgypsywoman (17 months ago | reply)
Such a tragedy. We can't even imagine what many are having to endure every day, living without freedom, knowing you will die if you don't follow the rules. You've honored Neda and called attention to the problem. Thank you. There is much ignorance in the USA towards Middle Easterners....whether they are Muslim or Christian and we need to spread the word about the truth of what is going on. Thank you for your tenderness towards a wonderful people. Such a beautiful portrait!
This photo was invited and added to the Neda - آرامگاه ندا آقاسلطان group.