Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral Monday of 19-year-old Sohrab Aarabi, a quiet young man whose body was returned to his family after nearly a month of frantic searching by friends and relatives. He had disappeared June 15 during a protest against the disputed reelection of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“I won’t remain silent,” said Aarabi’s mother, Parvin Fahimi, according to the pro-reformist news website Norooznews.org, the online incarnation of the popular newspaper Norooz, which was closed by authorities in 2002.
The story of Aarabi’s death and his mother’s quest is emerging as another emotionally potent narrative of the fledgling protest movement. It follows that of Neda Agha-Soltan, a 26-year-old aspiring tour guide shot dead June 20 during a demonstration, who has also become a symbol of the movement.
