Neda...

From CNN.com:

Amid the hundreds of images and videos of Saturday's brutal crackdown on protesters in Iran that flooded the Internet, it was the graphic video showing the death of a young woman that touched a nerve among those following the events in Tehran for more than a week.

Like most of the information coming out of Tehran, it is impossible to verify her name, Neda, or the circumstances of her apparent death, captured close-up on a bystander's camera.

CNN ran a pixilated version of the video, which was posted on YouTube. It shows a woman in jeans and white sneakers collapsed on the street, as the person with the camera -- most likely from a cell phone -- runs toward her and focuses on her face.

One blogger posted that Neda was protesting with her father in Tehran when pro-government Basiji militia opened fire and shot her in the heart.

I believe this youtube video is the one the CNN article is referring to. Warning shouldn't be necessary here, but this video appears to show the tragic death of a young woman shot through the heart. If you don't think you can stomach that, don't click it.



Though it may be impossible to confirm this story in the near future given the chaos and media restrictions right now, it appears that, at least for now, this young woman will have become a martyr for the dissident's cause regardless. Even small steps towards freedom, such as demanding more influence in one's own governance, is not without its casualties... especially against tyrannical regimes. It's never easy to bear though.