The mother of Neda Agha Soltan, whose death turned her into an icon of
the Iranian opposition movement, has publicly spurned the Islamic Republic’s offer to buy her off.
Hajar Rostami Motlagh told the Voice of America on Sunday that ‘Neda
died for her country, not so that I could get a monthly income,’ amid
reports that the Martyr Foundation was offering compensation for the
slain young woman if it was proven that she had been the victim of a
‘plot by opponents and enemies’ of the regime. Any acceptance of said
funds by Neda’s family would constitute a confirmation of the
government’s official scenario.
‘If it is proven that Neda Agha Soltan was killed as the result of a
plot hatched by enemies, and the proper security bodies confirm this,
she will be covered by the Martyr Foundation,’ said Massoud Zaribafan,
head of the Martyr and Veterans’ Affairs Foundation, in an exclusive
