Neda 5-Year Anniversary
Five years ago today, 26-year-old Neda Agha-Soltan was murdered on the streets of Tehran during a protest against the disputed election of then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In the chaos of the aftermath, someone filmed her death (at the hands of a government paramilitary group) and put it online. The video struck a chord with people around the world, including us. For the one-year anniversary in 2010, we worked with Amnesty International to raise awareness about the ongoing human rights struggle in Iran. We created an online campaign called “Neda Speaks” and hosted a charity concert in Los Angeles. We also wrote this song:
The song still marks a turning point for us, something about the power of art and the limitations of that power in the face of totalitarianism. We aren’t politicians or soldiers, just people still haunted by the image of that woman and what she represents..
To learn more, visit Amnesty International.