 Dr. Payam Akhavan - Human Rights in Iran - Does it Really Matter
March 25, 2008 - In an original analysis, Dr. Akhavan explored how the crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions has eclipsed human rights concerns and impeded the adoption of policies that promote democratization and reform. He also examined why the international community should be focusing on accountability for human rights violations both as a means of empowering the Iranian people and achieving long-term peace and security in the middle-east region. Dr. Akhavan is a professor of International Law at McGill University and the President and co-Founder of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Centre. He has also served as the Legal Advisor to the Prosecutor’s Office of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia as well as Special Advisor to the United Nations in Cambodia, Guatemala, East Timor, and Rwanda.
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 Dr. Shirin Ebadi - The Current State of Democracy in Iran March 4, 2008 - The Simons Centre convened a closed-door roundtable with Dr. Shirn Ebadi, Iran’s 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Currently a lawyer and human rights activist in Tehran, Dr. Ebadi discussed the current state of democracy in Iran, the compatibility of Islam with liberal democracy, her work on behalf of Iranian dissidents, and her views on Iran's nuclear activities. Attendees included local diplomats, senior UBC administrators, and other Iran specialists. The Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies also provided support for this event. More Info: Link to Photo Gallery for Event |
 Akbar Ganji - Iran, Regime Reform, and Its Nuclear Ambitions November 30, 2007 - Akbar Ganji is an emblematic figure of dissent in Iran. A well-known journalist and author, Mr. Ganji spent six years in prison for exposing rights abuses committed by Iran’s regime. The charges stemmed from a series of investigative articles exposing the complicity of then President Rafsanjani and other leading members of the conservative clergy in the murders of political dissidents and intellectuals in 1998. During his time in prison, Mr. Ganji continued to write, producing influential political manifestos and open letters calling for Iran’s secularization and the establishment of democracy through mass civil disobedience. He has also written many books, including The Dungeon of Ghosts (1999) and The Red Eminence and the Grey Eminence (2000). Mr. Ganji spoke of the challenges of free expression and investigative journalism in Iran.
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 Deborah Campbell - Iran's Generation Next March 9, 2007 - Today's Iranian youth are challenging authority, tuning into global youth culture, and transforming the Islamic Republic. Author, journalist and UBC adjunct professor Deborah Campbell, who has written on international affairs for the Guardian, Asia Times, Adbusters, The Walrus and Ms. Magazine, explored the blog phenomenon, malls vs. mosques, and the underground socio-sexual revolution that reflects an educated populace disillusioned with Islamic theocracy. She addressed the Iranian view of the nuclear issue and how the US-Iran conflict threatens to undermine the "quiet revolution" transforming Iran.
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 Dr. Payam Akhavan - Iran, Human Rights and the Nuclear Question - What are the Connections January 26, 2007 - Professor Akhavan examined the close inter-relationship between the threats posed by Iran’s foreign policy and its internal repression, with particular attention to Canada’s specific role and Iran’s failure to bring the murderers of Canadian-Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi to justice. He proposed concentrating Western policy on targeted sanctions aimed at the specific Iranian leaders responsible for human rights abuses.
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