IND:  The victory of the Green Movement is inevitable.  And when that day comes it will be thanks to people like Ms. Parvin Fahimi.

Parvin Fahimi, a tiny woman with a strong personality, has emerged as one of the heroes of Iran’s Green movement, which opposes the legitimacy of Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s presidency.

The grieving mother has refused to remain silent over the fate of her son, Sohrab Arabi, who was shot dead under unclear circumstances during Iran’s postelection crackdown. In publicly expressing her outrage, she has become the voice of other mothers mourning loved ones lost during the unrest that followed the disputed June 12 presidential vote.

…Fahimi’s outspokenness and courage has earned her the respect of many Iranians, who refer to her simply as “the mother of Sohrab.”  She demands that those responsible for the killing of her son — and others who died for opposing Ahmadinejad — be brought to justice. “How could they kill my child or the children of others? Just because of a [peaceful] protest?” she asks. “Just because these children protested and wanted their vote back, they deserved to be killed?”

During Arabi’s funeral, Fahimi vowed not to remain silent.  “No one can stop me, no one,” she says. “They’re bloodthirsty.”

Despite pressure exerted by Iranian authorities on victims’ families, Fahimi has kept her promise.  Through letters and meetings with authorities, she continues to tell her son’s story. She participates in protests, including one during official Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) events on September 18, when tens of thousands of citizens in Tehran and other cities protested against Ahmadinejad.

The name of her son has not been forgotten and is now shouted, among other rallying cries, by crowds voicing their anger with the Iranian government.  “Our Sohrab is not dead. It’s the government that has died,” she says. “Our Sohrab is not dead. It’s the government that has died.”

Fahimi tells RFE/RL that she believes her son did not die in vain. He died for his ideas, she says, and will always remain alive. “Inshallah, the future belongs to us because people will never back down in the face of so much violence, repression, and injustice,” she says.