The heartbreaking story of the young woman brutally shot on June 20th in Tehran continues to inspire Iranians who believe the June 12^th election was rigged. Neda Agha-Soltan, whose final moments were caught by cell phone video and globally circulated on YouTube, had the misfortune of being out during one of the post-election demonstrations.

Tensions were running so high after her death, reported the LA TImes, that authorities told the woman's family to quickly bury her without a funeral or memorial service, which they believed would provoke more demonstrations. They were also told to remove the black mourning banners in front of the family home and to not speak publicly about her.

Tim O'Brien, a Brooklyn-based artist and illustrator known for his portraits, made a drawing of the young woman and posted it on his blog at Drawger.com.

Left: Tim O'Brien's drawing of Neda Agha-Soltan. Right: Screen grab from video of her final moments.

I asked Tim how he came to do the portrait. "I, like millions of others, saw the shocking death of this woman on the web. I was troubled deeply with what I saw. I was actually away from my studio for 10 days when the protests began in Iran," he wrote, "but I was able to access the New York Times and the Huffington Post, which I read on my iPhone. I found the video clip of Neda's shooting and watched it several times. I began to wonder what I might offer if I were in my studio.

"After I posted this image on Drawger, the piece was discovered by someone from Iran and what followed was unbelievable. Over 300 people, mostly Iranian, posted their appreciation for the image and more interestingly, spoke of the comfort of finding out their plight was understood," Tim continued. "I also received almost 500 e-mails from people who were less than comfortable posting in a public form.

"The reaction from Iranians both inside and outside Iran was almost universally appreciative. The great shock to me," he continued, "was how many said they had no idea we cared. That was amazing to me."

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