Iranian Resistance presents statue of “Neda” to Speaker of Italian Parliament

NCRI, 12 December 2009 – A statue of “Neda,” the young woman who was killed by the Iranian regime during nationwide protests in Iran, has been presented as a gift by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, to Gianfranco Fini, the Speaker of Italy’s Lower House of Parliament.
Neda Agha Soltan became an iconic figure for the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people after she was slain on June 20 at the hands of henchmen of Ali Khamenei, the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader and the world’s most hated dictator.
The sculpture was presented to Mr. Fini by Reza Olia, a sculptor and NCRI member who created the statue, as well as Mr. Abolghassem Rezai, Deputy Secretary of the NCRI and the NCRI’s representative in Italy.
Meeting with Mr. Fini on December 7, a day marking Student Day in Iran, NCRI representatives presented Neda’s statue as a gift to the Italian Parliament on behalf of Mrs. Rajavi as a gesture of gratitude for the parliamentarians’ support for the Iranian people’s uprising.
Mr. Fini thanked Mrs. Rajavi for her gift and described Neda’s martyrdom as a sad and heartbreaking event that shook the world.
The NCRI representatives took the opportunity at the meeting to talk about the strengthening nationwide uprising against the clerical dictatorship as well as the Iranian regime’s suppressive crimes and inhumane plots against residents of Camp Ashraf. The camp, situated north of Baghdad, houses close to 3,500 members of the main opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Stressing that he monitors the events carefully, Mr. Fini added: The Italian Parliament stands with all those who struggle for freedom in Iran and for the defense of human rights.
Neda’s statue was created by Reza Olia, an artist and member of the NCRI, in light of Mrs. Rajavi’s proposal at a memorial ceremony for the slain young girl that was held over the summer at Mrs. Rajavi’s residence in Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris.