Joan Baez
Santa Monica Pier July 9, 2009
photo by Gregg Chadwick
We Shall Overcome w/ Verse in Farsi for Iran
Joan Baez
Santa Monica Pier
July 9, 2009
"Many Han migrants, at the encouragement of the Chinese government, have settled among the Muslim Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking race that is the largest ethnic group in oil-rich region of Xinjiang. The influx of Han, the dominant ethnic group in China, has transformed Xinjiang: the percentage of Han in the population was 40 percent in 2000, up from 6 percent in 1949.
But migration has fueled ethnic tensions, as Uighurs complain about the loss of jobs, the proliferation of Han-owned businesses and the disintegration of their own culture.
On Sunday at least 156 people were killed in the deadliest ethnic violence in China in decades. Raging Uighurs battled security forces and attacked Han civilians across Urumqi.
The riot had evolved from a protest march held by more than 1,000 Uighurs to demand that the government investigate an earlier brawl between Han and Uighurs in southern China."
Her name is Tursun Gul. She is a migrant worker and she is not from Urumqi. In person, she looks younger than she does in the pictures but her eyes are tired. She was injured in a car accident and now uses a crutch to help her walk.
She told us why she took to the streets in protest on Tuesday.
“My husband, younger brother and older brothers, 5 in all, were arrested,” she said, “We were eating when it happened. The police came and took them away and they never returned. I don’t know why they took them.”
When we asked if she was not frightened walking up to a line of heavily armed soldiers she retorted, “How could I be afraid when I did not commit any crime? We’re just migrant workers from another part of Xinjiang. We’re not guilty of anything.”
Tursun, a mother of two young children, said she does not know where her brothers and her husband are being held and she does not know when, or if, they will be released. And she does not know how she will support her family now.
“There is no one to take care of us,” she lamented.
Other local residents we spoke to told us that more than 20 men were taken from the area. None of them have been seen since. According to official figures, more than 1400 people have been arrested in connection with this week’s violence.
Update | 12:07 p.m. The New York Times has received two e-mail messages from a witness to the protests on Thursday in Tehran, whose name we will withhold for that person’s safety.
This first e-mail message was sent just over one hour ago:
The phones are completely out. I’m hiding in an international hotel…. riot police wanted to break in but the managers convinced them. The crowd is running in the thousands, starting in Enqelab where riot police and basij started beating people. Saw one middle-age woman with blood stains. Then they pushed up kargar st to laleh park, squads of 25 police would run up the streets with batons beating people. I hid in a clock shop, like many other people who would hide in street shops and come out once these attack squads went up the streets.
Fires of trash are burning in main streets. Everyone honking, women and men of all ages out, even kids in cars (most families have driven their cars and blocked the streets). No phone so hoping there will be internet later. One 55-year-old housewife said to me proudly “This is Iran. We are all together,” in front of Fatemi street where the crowd stretches as far as the eye can see, but again crowd is moving because riot police is moving as well as the basij on motorcycles. Lots of people chanting “Down with Dictator!” and “Moussavi! Moussavi!” and “God is Almighty.”
This second e-mail message was sent to The Times about 40 minutes ago:
The crowds are too huge to contain. Riot police running up and down Fatemi Street beating people, barely got out of the way. The crowds just get out of their way and come back. Saw two undercover Basij, one was actually a late 40s businessman in a suit, whipped out a collapsible metal baton and started beating someone with a camera. He was beaten until the baton broke, another Basij came on motorcycle to help but crowds started surging and booed them away. Someone threw a water bottle but otherwise crowd is peaceful — keep chanting “Please Stop!” and chased the two Basij away.
Then riot police came back up. More fires in the street as trash and various containers are burned. Tear gas everywhere, no gunshots yet I think but again undercover Basij everywhere. Again I stress crowds in thousands and this is just one street. One 27-year guy in black shirt said “We don’t want war. We just want freedoms. Here, [he signals getting shot] no matter. Down with the dictator,” and people joining in the chant. Also [chanting] “God is Great!”
The main theme is that people are surprisingly non-violent. They seem very hopeful and energetic. People from all levels of society are out. No one is throwing rocks but people have been setting fires in the street.
The honorable President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
As you know, after the victory of the Revolution in February 1979, limitations were placed on female judges and they were disallowed from serving in this position. As such, I was forced to resign from my position as a Judge, in which I took great pride. As an Iranian woman I felt it my duty to work toward the realization of human rights, which is aspiration resulting as a result of continuous human struggle over the past several centuries. As such, with the cooperation and collaboration of a number of social activists and human rights lawyers, I took steps to establish the Society for the Protection of Children’s Rights, the Defenders of Human Rights Center, and the Organization for Mine Cleanup.
After receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, and given the critical situation of our country, I felt it my national and religious duty as a human being to work even harder for the realization of human rights in our country, because clearly the receipt of such an award brings with it certain responsibilities.
Of course, I should mention that when I received the Nobel Peace Prize, I did not receive much kindness from officials who were in power at that time. Still I took steps to set up a human rights organization. According to the law no permit is required for the establishment of organizations, irrespective of their focus or activity. Article 26 of the Constitution and the” regulations governing the establishment of political parties and organizations”, both state that no permits are required to establish organizations. Clearly this is the case with several organizations and political entities which are active and have seen no reason for requesting a permit for the purpose of their carrying out their activities. These include: the Society of Resisting Clerics, the Society of Qom Seminarians, Abadgaran political party, to name only a few. Still in order to benefit from the advantages of being registered, we requested a permit on February 2004 from the Commission on Article 10 on the Registration of Political Parties [and organizations] within the Ministry of the Interior. In September of 2006, the Political Deputy of the Ministry of the Interior announced that our request for a permit was approved by the Commission.
Despite all this, the Ministry of the Interior has not abided by its duty as defined in Article 9 of the Law on Operations of Political Parties which was adopted as law by the Parliament in 1981 and has to date refused to provide the not provided a permit for the operation of the Defenders of Human Rights Center with a permit for operation. This has taken place despite the fact that the Defenders of Human Rights Center, due to its membership in the International Federation of Human Rights, has been registered as an international human rights entity.
It is worth mentioning that the Defenders of Human Rights Center has been conducting its human rights and civil activities for over 8 years. With the collaboration and cooperation of political, social and cultural activists we have established two important institutions, “the Committee to Defend Free, Fair and Healthy Elections,” and “the National Council on Peace.” Most recently, in March of this year another important effort to end the execution of minors who commit crimes while still under the age of 18 has been launched by the Defenders of Human Rights Center and aims to work on this issue at the national and international levels.
While at the start of the operation of the Defenders of Human Rights Center pressures were imposed on us, from different sectors, but mostly from those associated with the state, still the last four years and especially after the end of the Presidency of George W. Bush in the US and the coming to power of the Democrats and President Obama, I along with my colleagues at the DHRC have come under unprecedented pressures and limitations. It is regretful that the rights of Iranian citizens have turned into a bargaining chip for the political games of the government carried out against foreign powers.
Perhaps you are aware that as human rights defenders we have objected to the aggressive policies of war adopted by the government of George W. Bush with all our might. We have condemned the policies in support of war from all the platforms available to us. Of course this claim has been documented in many important centers and universities, research centers and in the international press. At the same time, we have worked tirelessly to ensure peace and democracy in our country and have taken full advantage of all civil and legal means in doing so.
We invite you to judge based on your conscience whether the actions and activities of the Defenders of Human Rights Center has not work to defend national interests, and are they not more in line with religious and human rights teachings than the actions of some security institutions under your direction which are consistently violating the principles of human rights and in so doing are presenting a bleak picture of the situation of our country at the international level?
With a brief examination of the pressures and limitations placed on myself and the members of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, any objective onlooker will understand the level of pressure your government has placed on the defenders of human rights in Iran and the illegal and inhumane treatment you have imposed on them. These extreme pressures have taken place despite the fact that our government in line with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, voted and adopted by the UN members including Iran in 1999, has committed to cooperate with human rights defenders, and to provide them with immunity from prosecution with respect to their human rights activities.
I would like to only address a portion of the pressures which we as human rights defenders have faced in the past 6 months:
1) On December 21, 2008 security officials shut down the offices of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, without presenting a court order allowing them to do so. It is worth mentioning that on that day the Defenders of Human Rights Center had planned to hold a ceremony in honor of the anniversary of the Universal Declarations on Human Rights.
2) On December 22 and December 29, 2008 my offices were searched by individuals claiming to be from the office of taxation and all my client’s case files, computers and CDs in the office as well as my personal writings and documents which were unrelated to my taxes were illegally seized by these officials. While much of the property seized has since been returned, it remains unclear which documents have yet to be returned and which documents still remain in the possession of these security officials.
3) The former secretary of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, Jinous Sobhani, was arrested on January 14, 2009, for no reason. She was released on bail after enduring 55 days in detention.
4) On January 1, 2009, under the pretense of defending the people of Gaza, a mob of basiji students attacked my building where my home and offices are both located. The mob shouted violent slogans against me and wrote similar slogans on the walls outside. Despite the fact that the police were present on the scene, they did nothing to stop the mob, and only watched as the violence unfolded. This occurred despite the fact that the Palestinian Human Rights Organization, which is supported by all Palestinian political groups, had condemned the closure of the offices of the Defenders of Human Rights Center and had invited me to travel to Palestine and the Gaza Strip.
5) By pressuring another secretary who worked for the Defenders of Human Rights Center, security officials have forced her to resign her position. Additionally she has been denied a permit allowing her to carry out her legal internship and clerkship positions as part of her studies to become a lawyer. It is worth mentioning that she was pressured despite the fact that she had passed her bar exam and the only reason she is currently facing pressures and is denied the opportunity to conduct her required legal internships is because she was employed by my offices.
6) The translator working at my offices too has been pressured and as a result was forced to resign her position at my office.
7) In the last few months several members of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, the Committee to Defend Free, Healthy and Fair Elections and the National Council of Peace have been summoned for interrogation. During these interrogations, they have been encouraged to end their cooperation with the mentioned organizations and efforts.
8) The arrest of Mr. Mehdi Mo’tamdi -Mehr, a member of the Committee on Free, Healthy and Fair Elections, is yet another example of these pressures and the violation of human rights during this period.
9) Attempts to prevent the convening of meetings of several efforts affiliated with the Defenders of Human Rights Center, is yet another example of pressures we have faced during this period. Those scheduled to attend these meetings were contacted by security officials and threatened and in the end the meetings were obstructed and prevented from taking place when police arrived on the scene to disperse those present.
10) The official governmental news agency, the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency, IRNA has accused me and my daughter of being followers of the Bahai faith. By making these false claims they have attempted to damage my image and influence negatively public perceptions of me.
11) In a special news report, IRNA has accused the Deputy Chair of the Defenders of Human Rights Center of “spreading propaganda against the state,” despite the fact that no summons in this relation has been received by her from judiciary officials.
12) Several members of the Defenders of Human Rights Center and the National Council of Peace have been illegally barred from travel outside the country. These actions are yet more examples of human rights violations and the pressures placed on the DHRC.
13) The entrance of security officials into the offices of the Defenders of Human Rights Center and scuttles that arose as a result are yet further examples of the pressures placed on members of the Defenders of Human Rights Center.
Mr. President, are the above actions, which are in complete contradiction with the laws of the Islamic Republic, in line with the best national interests of the state and our country?
Another perplexing question which comes to the mind of any unbiased observer is this: You have repeatedly claimed at the international level that “Iran is the freest country in the world” and seeks to bring kindness and justice to the world and wants to impose a justice order on the world, so how is it that at the national level human rights defenders who have committed no crimes but defending the basic rights of the people, are treated in such an abhorrent manner? I ask you, are such actions reflective of kindness, love, respect for human rights or respect for civil rights of Iranians? Aren’t such actions against human rights defenders inside the country who are not seeking to gain political power, who are working only to promote human rights based on their commitment to this cause, and who are utilizing lawful means in promoting their cause, in contradiction to the proclamations of the government of the Islamic Republic at the international level to uphold human rights standards? If defense of human rights is indeed a big sin and a crime, which subjects its defenders and promoters to such criminal pursuit, why then did your government apply last year for membership in UN Council on Human Rights?—a request which of course was denied. I will leave it up to the good citizens of Iran and all those who work for freedoms at the international level to pass judgment with respect to these issues and questions.
Mr. President,
In 2010 Iran will be up for a Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights. One of the important issues addressed in the Universal Periodic Review will be the manner in which Iranian officials and governmental institutions have treated human rights defenders. Clearly it will not be in the national interest to have the negative actions of the government on human rights and the treatment of human rights defenders questioned at the international level.
In the end as a citizen, as a human rights activist, and the Chair of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, I urge you to:
1) Take necessary actions to re-open the offices of the Defenders of Human Rights Center; and
2) Prevent the continued political and security pressures placed on civil, political and human rights activists by institutions under your leadership.
Shirin Ebadi
Chair, Defenders of Human Rights Center
June 6, 2009
We’ve selected more of Rumi’s poems for you to hear and read on our Web site, speakingoffaith.org, along with images and explanations of the whirling dervishes. I’m Krista Tippett, and this is Speaking of Faith from American Public Media. Today, we’re dipping into the ideas and spiritual background of Rumi, a 13th-century Muslim mystic whose poetry is celebrated by an array of modern readers.
Ms. Keshavarz: (reciting) Listen to the story told by the reed of being separated. Since I was cut from the reed bed, I have made this crying sound. Anyone apart from someone he loves understands what I say. Anyone pulled from a source longs to go back. At any gathering, I'm there, lingering and laughing and grieving, a friend to each, but few will hear the secrets hidden within the notes. No ears for that. Body flowing out of spirit, spirit out from body, no concealing that mixing. But it's not given us to see, so the reed flute is fire, not wind. Leave that empty.
Ms. Tippett: There's a theme that is part of that, that runs all the way through, about separation and longing as part of — well, not just the spiritual life, but being human, and also a kind of sense that the separation and the longing themselves are a kind of arrival.
Ms. Keshavarz: On one level, you have to get on the road. You have to get started, you know, just like the earth that, you know, have to plow the earth, you have to get moving. On another level, time and again he reminds us that the destination is the journey itself. So there isn't a point where you say, 'OK, I'm here, I've reached, I'm done, I'm perfect. I don't need to do anything anymore.' In the incompleteness of that, the need to move forward is inherent in that incompleteness, in the process of going forward that you make yourself better and better and you, in a way, never reach. So the separation is the powerful force that keeps you going. If you ever felt that I have arrived I've reached, this is it, then you wouldn't go any further.
Ms. Tippett: You know, and I think it is counterintuitive in our culture — not that we necessarily think this through very often, but we think of desires and longings as something that we need to find something to meet, right?
Ms. Keshavarz: Yes, yes. And we want to meet it really fast.
Ms. Tippett: Yes.
Ms. Keshavarz: Exactly.
Ms. Tippett: Because somehow the feeling of longing and separation from whatever it is, especially if we don't know what it is we want, that that is unsatisfying and there's something wrong with that. And yet what Rumi is saying is that, you know, the longing itself is redemptive and is progress, kind of.
Ms. Keshavarz: Yes. And the longing itself — and also not to understand exactly what that longing is, in itself, is very productive. I think one idea or major concept that the Sufi tradition and Rumi in particular have to contribute to our current culture is value in perplexity, the fact that not knowing is a source of learning, something that propels us forward into finding out. Longing, perplexity, these are all very valuable things. We want to unravel things and get answers and be done, but as far as he's concerned, it's a continual process. We can't be done. And that's good.
Ms. Tippett: I also have a feeling that Rumi is saying we also, though, at the same time need to be intentional about what we choose to be perplexed by. Does that make sense? I mean there's this poem: "Stay bewildered in God and only that. Those of you who are scattered, simplify your worrying lives. There is one righteousness. Water the fruit trees and don't water the thorns. Be generous to what nurtures the spirit and God's luminous reason-light. Don't honor what causes dysentery and knotted-up tumors. Don't feed both sides of yourself equally. The spirit and the body carry different loads and require different attentions."
Ms. Keshavarz: Yes. Yes. I think the energy can't go in all directions completely in control and you have to choose because you have one life. You have to spend it wisely. So absolutely, he would say choose, be selective, recognize your own value. At another point he says, 'You are an astrolabe to God, you know, don't use yourself for things that are not worthwhile.'
But I want to linger a little bit on that idea of being scattered because that's a key concept in Sufi thought. And actually it's something that the Buddhists also talk about a lot. And that is our mind just jumps from one thing to the other and, you know, the Sufis call it the onrush of ideas into our minds. And in some ways, if we allow it, it takes us over, you know. You know, what am I going to do about that credit card? You know, how am I going to — what do I do about this student paper, you know, whatever else is that you're concerned with, my family, my kids, my future. So it all invades your life and so in a way you're pulled in all directions. You're scattered. So one of the purposes of his poetry and one of the concepts the Sufis talk about is to collect that scatteredness.
It’s likely needless to remind you that this was not the first time Iranians showed how much they love freedom. Look only at the 20th century: They launched the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 (the first in Asia); nationalized the oil industry in 1951 (the first Middle Eastern country to do so); mounted the revolution of 1979; and engineered the student revolt of 1999. Which brings us to now, and that deafening cry for democracy.
Almost 20 years ago, when I started studying art in Tehran, the very idea of “politics” was so frightening that we didn’t even dare think about it. To talk about it? Beyond belief!
To demonstrate in the streets against the president? Surreal!
Criticize the supreme leader? Apocalyptic!
Shouting “Down with Khamenei”? Death!
Death, torture and prison are part of daily life for the youth of Iran. They are not like us, my friends and I at their age; they are not scared. They are not what we were.
They hold hands and scream: “Don’t be afraid! Don’t be afraid! We are together!”
They understand that no one will give them their rights; they must go get them.
They understand that unlike the generation before them — my generation, for whom the dream was to leave Iran — the real dream is not to leave Iran but to fight for it, to free it, to love it and to reconstruct it.
"I remember September 11, 2001. I remember watching TV all day worried and sad. I remember holding candlelight vigils with my friends for the victims. Then George W. Bush went on to declare us as one of the “Axis of Evil.” I remember asking myself, “Why?” Not a single one of the terrorists was Iranian, and I wondered why he didn’t bother to make a distinction between the government and the people. In fact, in all of the Middle East I don’t think there is a more pro-American nation than Iran, but no one made such a distinction. Consequently, the Iranian people were viewed with an aura of suspicion in every airport and embassy around the world for the rest of the Bush administration."
"But all of that unfounded negative stereotyping came to an end when, in the aftermath of the elections, the nation stood up to the manipulative authorities and separated its account from that of the government. We shattered the stereotype with the amateur photos and videos taken with our own mobile phones. We captured the true picture of the Iranian nation and relayed it to the world, a picture of a young and highly educated nation yearning to be free."
--PA
On June 24, Iranian Superstar Andy Madadian went into an LA recording studio with Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and American record producers Don Was and John Shanks to record a musical message of worldwide solidarity with the people of Iran.
This version of the old Ben E. King classic is not for sale - it was not meant to be on the Billboard charts or even manufactured as a CD.....it's intended to be downloaded and shared by the Iranian people...to give voice to the sentiment that all people of the world stand together....the handwritten Farsi sign in the video translates to "we are one".
If you know someone in Iran - or someone who knows someone in Iran - please share this link:
Neda's Death. Eyewitness
As you might have read on Paulo Coelho's blog, I was the doctor who tried to save Neda. I am the one who sent the video of her cruel death for the world to see. I am the person in the video who tries to control her bleeding ... in vain. I was the one who looked into her eyes, right before they lost their light forever. A famous Iranian writer called Sadeq Hedayet wrote, "There are sores which slowly erode the mind in solitude like a kind of canker."
I have to live with this sore. But I am going to tell the story soon.
Keeping pressure on Iran's rulers, Obama emphasized the rights of the people there.
''Their bravery in the face of brutality is a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice,'' Obama said.
''The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. In spite of the government's efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see it and we condemn it.''
Iran's violent postelection chaos has captured the world's attention and elicited increasingly sharp condemnations from Obama. Iran's ruling clergy have widened the clampdown on the opposition since a bitterly disputed June 12 presidential election, and scattered protests have replaced the initial mass rallies.
At least 17 people have been killed in a state-led crackdown on protesters.
Obama said Mousavi had captured the spirit and imagination of the Iranian people who want a more free society.
And he dismissed statements by Ahmadinejad, who on Thursday compared Obama to Bush. Obama said he is not meddling in Iran's affairs but rather calling for principles recognized around the world.
''A government that treats its own citizens with that kind of ruthlessness and violence and that cannot deal with peaceful protesters who are trying to have their voices heard in an equally peaceful way have moved outside of universal norms -- international norms -- that are important to uphold,'' Obama said.
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.
Neda Soltan's family forced out of home' by Iranian authorities
Parents of young woman shot dead near protests are banned from mourning and funeral is cancelled, neighbours say
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."