Neda Agha-Soltan scholarship at Oxford University

Neda Agha-Soltan

Oxford University has established a graduate scholarship in the name of Neda Agha-Soltan, the Iranian woman whose last moments were broadcast on the internet all across the world as she lay dying from a gun shot in Iran’s post-election events.

Oxford’s Queen’s College announced the “two generous gifts” have made the establishment of Neda Agha-Soltan scholarship in philosophy possible which will cover the college tuition fees for the recipient.

All students can apply for the scholarship; however, preference will be given to applicants of Iranian nationality or extraction.

Professor Paul Madden, the Provost, expressed his satisfaction with the establishment of the scholarship saying such gifts are “vital for us to continue to attract and retain the best young minds.”

Arianne Shahvisi is the first recipient of the scholarship and has joined the College to study philosophy of Physics. Extending her condolences to Agha-Soltan, she has expressed extreme pride in being the recipient of such a scholarship.

Neda Agha-Soltan, a 27-year-old philosophy student was shot on the 20 of June in the course of street protests in Tehran. Her last moments were posted on the web all across the world and turned her into a symbol for the people’s protests against the alleged fraud in the elections that secured the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.