“She Was A Beam Of Light.”

Here is a full-length obituary of Neda Agha-Soltan, the young lady whose murder in Iran has become the unbearable, yet poignant, image of the uprising.

On Sunday at the Agha-Soltan residence, friends and relatives came in droves, weeping and bent over, clutching one another. A steady murmur of sobs and wails emanated from the apartment.

Mascara streamed down cheeks of the women, some in sweeping black chadors and others in shapely designer mini-coats and sunglasses.

The men’s eyes were sore and bloodshot. Two helped a distraught young man walk along the hallway, one of her two brothers, someone said.

“She died full of love,” Golshad said.

The relatives and friends piled into minivans for the hour-long trek to Tehran’s Beshesht Zahra cemetery, where she was buried. Her loved ones were outraged by the authorities’ order not to eulogize her, to loudly sing her praises and mourn her loss. But they were too afraid and distraught to speak out, except for Panahi, who said he had nothing more to lose.

“They know me,” he said. “They know where I am. They can come and get me whenever they want. My time has gone. We have to think about the young people.”

Neda, he said, was smart and loving. She had a mischievous streak, gentling teasing her friends and causing them to laugh. She was passionate about life and meant no one any harm, they said. In the election unrest, friends found in her an unexpected daring, a willingness to take risks for her beliefs.

“For pursuing her goals, she didn’t use rocks or clubs,” said Panahi. “She wanted to show with her presence that, ‘I’m here. I also voted. And my vote wasn’t counted.’ It was a very peaceful act of protest, without any violence.”

As to the person or persons responsible for her death, they will not be forgiven, he said. “When they kill an innocent child, this is not justice. This is not religion. In no way is this acceptable,” he said. “And I’m certain that the one who shot her will not get a pass from God.”

Thanks to Allahpundit. He is doing yeoman work on this story.

And on a related note, Carin posted this video today.