The XX Factor

Neda: the New Face of Iranian Protest

A video of the death of a young Iranian protester named Neda has been traveling incredibly quickly around the Twittersphere and the rest of the Internet (first link contains disturbing images). She has become an instant symbol of Iranian opposition.

The Huffington Post ‘s Nico Pitney has more on Neda :

A blogger apparently in touch with Neda’s family members offers some new details (translated by reader Nima): she was born in 1982, apparently her full name was Neda Agha-Soltan, and she was at the protest with one her professors and several other students. She was, they said, shot by a basiji riding by on a motorcycle. Also, she was apparently buried today at a large cemetery in the south of Tehran. ABC News’ Lara Setrakian writes, “Hearing reports Neda was buried in Behesht Zahra cemetery earlier today, memorial service cancelled on orders from authorities.”

Nico’s liveblog is a good compilation of what’s going on in Iran. Andrew Sullivan also has comprehensive coverage , as does Jezebel . Journalist Robin Sloan has created a remarkable aggregator of Iran coverage from around the web, including Twitter hashtags and trends. Stay tuned for more.