THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT REMEMBER NEDA
Neda Aghan Soltan was a 27-year-old woman attending a peaceful protest in Teheran with her father against the election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, when she was shot on June 20, 2009, by members of the Basij, a paramilitary volunteer militia founded in 1979 by order of the Ayatollah Khomeini.
Her murder galvanized worldwide opposition to the Islamic dictatorship, thanks to the YouTube video footage shot that day, which has been viewed by almost one million viewers here. Be warned, it is both explicit and disturbing.
To mark the one-year anniversary of the tragedy, The Airborne Toxic Event’s singer/songwriter Mikel Jollett has composed a commemorative single, “Neda,” in conjunction with Amnesty International, featuring an accompanying video, which can be viewed here.
The video debuts today on YouTube with Jollett urging people to spread it virally, asking everybody to Tweet, “I am Neda. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXN_yCSbUYk #neda r/t”
Among those who have already Tweeted or posted the link to their Facebook page are Sting, Dixie Chicks, Clay Aiken, Ne-Yo, OneRepublic, OK Go, Andrew W.K., The Bravery, Ghostface Killah, Cold War Kids, Sum 41, Neon Trees, Cherrie Lily, Carson Daly, Alyssa Milano, Pauly Shore, Nazanin Boniadi, Ryan Manno, The End Seattle and 98.7 L.A.
