Iran: 'Terrorists' Killed Neda Agha Soltan - Officially

Looks to me like the death of Neda Aghah-Soltan is a thorn in the side of the ayatollahs. The official line now is that she actually exists, that she was killed, and that it's the fault of "terrorists."

Actually, it's a plausible story: probably the best that Iran's government could do, under the circumstances.

"Iran said the gunman who killed Neda Agha-Soltan may have mistaken her for the sister of an Iranian 'terrorist,' the Islamic Republic News Agency reported Wednesday.

"In death, Neda Agha-Soltan has emerged as a powerful symbol of opposition to the Iranian government.

"Iran blamed the death of the woman known to the world simply as Neda squarely on 'those groups who want to create division in the nation,' saying they planned the woman's killing 'to accuse the Islamic republic of ruthlessly dealing with the opposition,' according to IRNA, Iran's state-run news agency.

"The report said the investigation into her death is ongoing, 'but according to the evidence so far, it could be said that she was killed by mistake. The marksmen had mistaken her for the sister of one of the Monafeghin who had been executed in the province of Mazandaran some time ago.'..." (CNN)

Monafeghin seems to be another name for the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran, or PMOI, a leftist group dating 1963, which supported the the 1979 takeover of the American embassy in Tehran. They're no friends of the Islamic Republic, though. Their mix of Marxism, feminism, and Islamism isn't even close to being on the same page as the ayatollahs. (CNN, GlobalSecurity.org, FAS)

As bad guys, they're far from being a bad choice for the Islamic Republic of Iran. They've been attacking Iran from Iraqi territory. As such, my guess is that the ayatollahs are hoping to display Neda Agha Soltan's killing as some sort of western plot.

The 'terrorist' story may work to deflect outrage from the ayatollahs. It's dramatic, and doesn't require that people believe that Neda Agha Soltan never existed, that the video they've seen isn't real, or that she didn't really die.

• "...Iran blamed the death of the woman known to the world simply as Neda squarely on 'those groups who want to create division in the nation,' saying they planned the woman's killing 'to accuse the Islamic republic of ruthlessly dealing with the opposition,'..."
• "...the investigation into her death is ongoing, 'but according to the evidence so far, it could be said that she was killed by mistake. The marksmen had mistaken her for the sister of one of the Monafeghin who had been executed in the province of Mazandaran some time ago.'..."
• "...IRNA reported Wednesday that the killer, or killers, may have 'thought that they were targeting one of the government opposition people and that is why they immediately distributed the video of the aftermath of the killing through the official and unofficial media in order to reach their murderous objectives against the Iranian government and revolution.'
  (CNN) [emphasis mine]

Giving credit where credit is due, the ayatollahs seem to be making the best of a bad situation.

Considering the rest of what's been leaking out, I don't believe the 'terrorist' story: but from a propagandist's point of view the tale is well-crafted.

Related posts:

• "Journalism in the Information Age, Or Nothing Says 'No' Like a Brightly Burning Motorcycle"
  (June 24, 2009)
• "Neda Agha Soltan, Iran, Cell Phone Cameras, and the Information Age"
  (June 23, 2009)

In the news:

• "Iran says Neda's death may be tied to 'terrorist' group"
  CNN (June 24, 2009)
• "Who was Neda? Slain woman an unlikely martyr"
  CNN (June 24, 2009)

Background:

• "Backgrounder: Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK) (aka People's Mujahedin of Iran or PMOI)"
  GlobalSecurity.org
• "Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK) (aka People's Mujahedin of Iran or PMOI)"
  Council of Foreign Relations (April 18, 2008)
• "STATE DEPARTMENT VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE'S MOJAHEDIN ORGANIZATION OF IRAN -- HON. LEE H. HAMILTON (Extension of Remarks - April 28, 1992)"
  FAS (Federation of American Scientists)