The Call - ندا -Neda

    Gregg Chadwick
    36"x48" oil on linen 2009
    Courtesy- Look Gallery, Los Angeles

    Comments and faves

    1. 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

    2. :i M 6 o O o 6 a 7:™ (48 months ago | reply)

      So Beautiful !

      May God Rest you in Peace Neda

    3. 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!

    4. massimo ankor (48 months ago | reply)

      Quare religio pedibus subiecta vicissim
      opteritur, nos exaequat victoria caelo.

    5. deep dreams happy new year (48 months ago | reply)


      Sharing Art Award!
      Seen in the artistic pool: Sharing Art!

    6. 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.

    7. ♣Cleide@.♣ (48 months ago | reply)

      beautiful!

      Sharing Art Award!
      Seen in the artistic pool: Sharing Art!

    8. harrystaab (48 months ago | reply)

      Very good. Thank you for sharing.

    9. 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/

    10. 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:

      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."

      The Call - ندا -Neda

    11. AtomicJukebox.com (48 months ago | reply)

      Let's pray that Neda's sacrifice was not in vain.

    12. 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!

    13. Nastassia Davis [www.nastassiadavis.com] (48 months ago | reply)

      May her soul rest in peace....

    14. 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.
      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


      Icon Glitter

    15. 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 WOMAN
      ART WOMEN

      ...your EXCELLENT Artwork
      describes ART WOMEN,
      and deserves an AWARD!!!

    16. 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:

      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.

    17. LovelybrownBoots_the artist (47 months ago | reply)

      lovely!
      quite a treasure.

    18. Chandra Siri (47 months ago | reply)


      ART WOMAN
      ART WOMEN

      I LOVE your EXCELLENT Artwork!
      Seen in the group
      ART WOMEN

    19. Touareg ... voyage (47 months ago | reply)

      A good work! GRATULATION! For a sad moment!
      www.JudithsArt.de

    20. Sirbonetta (47 months ago | reply)

      bel ritratto!

    21. GreggChadwick (47 months ago | reply)

      A Poem for Neda Soltan
      A Poem for Neda Soltan
      by Simin Behbahani, Iran's national poet

    22. 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.

    23. 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.

    24. Geotypografika (47 months ago | reply)

      Beautiful work, Greg. I would love to include this on Geotypografika?

    25. sam_alcaphone (47 months ago | reply)

      Lets keep their memory alive and not let the government dishonour their names:

      www.iranian-heroes.org

    26. 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

    27. 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!

    28. necadova (46 months ago | reply)

      The face is pure, magnificent

    29. Jonkersart (22 months ago | reply)

      Beautiful painting!

    30. inekeoriginal (17 months ago | reply)

      Fantastic! Well done!

    31. 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!

    32. This photo was invited and added to the Neda - آرامگاه ندا آقاسلطان group.

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