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Under Cloud of Threat, Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Shirin Ebadi
Discusses Women’s Roles in Peacebuilding
updated
04.18.08
On April 22 at 6:00 p.m., Barnard College will host 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner, lawyer, and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, as she lectures on “The Role of Women in World Peace.”
The visit comes a week after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered Iran's police chief to ensure her safety in light of death threats made against Ebadi and her family that have intensified in recent months.
Ebadi is no stranger to soldiering on in the face of danger and adversity. She has been fearless in her lifelong efforts to advance democracy and human rights in Iran, especially women's and children's rights. Her views have brought her into conflict with conservative clerics, and she has been imprisoned and threatened on numerous occasions.
Early in her career, in 1975, Ebadi became the first female judge in her country, but was demoted from presiding judge to low-level secretarial clerk of the Tehran City Court after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Despite repeated attempts, Ebadi would be barred from practicing law until 1992.
As a lawyer, Ebadi now takes on the kind of politically sensitive cases most Iranian lawyers would never dream of touching—defending families of slain political dissidents, women's rights activists, abused children, and banned writers. She also lectures at the University of Tehran, has published numerous books and articles, and travels the world, speaking out about democracy and human rights.
In 2003, Ebadi became the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In its statement, the Nobel award committee praised her courage, noting that she had “never heeded the threat to her own safety.”
WHEN: |
April 22, 2008, 6:00 p.m.
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WHERE: |
Julius Held Lecture Hall, 304 Barnard Hall
Barnard College, 3009 Broadway at 117th Street, NYC
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HOW: |
Admission is free, but seating is limited. Please visit www.barnard.edu/ebadi.html for information on how to reserve your seat. |
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