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Source: Spiegel Online

March 27, 2010

Fiance of Murdered Iranian Protester Neda

AFP Iranian student Neda Agha-Soltan after being shot in Tehran on June 20, 2009

Months after her murder in Tehran, little has been done to investigate the circumstances of Iranian protester Neda Agha-Soltan’s death. Her former fiance, Caspian Makan, who fled the country to avoid being part of a show trial, says he hopes the United Nations and other international organizations will challenge the Iranian government.

SPIEGEL: Your fiancee is considered the icon of the Iranian opposition movement. How deeply was Neda really involved in the “Green Movement”?

Caspian Makan: Neda wasn’t actually politically active. She first got started after the protests began. One of the last things she said was: “Everyone must do something.”

SPIEGEL: What motivated her?

Makan: She suffered under the regime. As a student, she was patronized and told what to do: How she should wear her headscarf, what make-up and what kind of lipstick was allowed. Freedom was a very big issue for her.

SPIEGEL: Were you and Neda aware of the danger?

Makan: We had a feeling that something would happen. I wanted to keep her from protesting, but Neda said: Even if I get hit by a bullet, the freedom of my people is more important.

SPIEGEL: What did you know about the perpetrator and the people commanding him?

Makan: Neda’s death was not the act of an individual — the entire regime is responsible. The leaders wanted to eliminate opponents like Neda in a targeted manner. The perpetrator was detained by the people who had been standing around Neda. His identity card showed that he was a Basij, a militia member. The witnesses still have his identity card — the name isn’t necessarily real, but the photo matches the perpetrator. The culprit also had an accomplice, but in the end both men were able to get away.

SPIEGEL: Do you still have hope that Neda’s death will be investigated?

Makan: My hope is that international organizations like the United Nations will pursue the murder of Neda and other protesters and charge the regime.

SPIEGEL: You yourself were also persecuted …

Makan: I was a reporter and I took photos of the demonstrations in full view of everyone. After Neda’s death, I was condemned by the regime and its leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. I was then arrested and spent 65 days in Evin Prison. I was only released on bail, and my family had to put up their house as collateral for my freedom. Two months after my release, I fled through the mountains to Turkey. I now live as a political refugee in Canada.

Journalist Caspian Makan, 38, was the fiance of Iranian protester Neda Agha Soltan, who became the icon of the protest movement after her murder during a demonstration in Tehran on June 20. He was arrested following the protests and only released from Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison after his family put their house up as bail collateral. He later fled the country through Turkey. Today he lives as a political refugee in Canada.