Neda Agha-Soltan, who was shot by a member of the Iranian Basij militia during a peaceful demonstration, June 20, 2009. Photo taken by her fiance Caspian Makan, May 2009.
A mother should never have to bury her daughter. Bad enough when it’s a sudden illness, suicide, car accident, or drug overdose. Worse still when at the hands of another, for doing something that so many of us take for granted, like exercising what should be a basic human right: speaking out against an oppressive government regime, and taking part in a peaceful protest. Here in the U.S., we can’t even imagine fearing for our lives for speaking our minds, or what it’s like to live in a place where one’s freedom of speech is completely denied.
