Civil Liberties, Islam and the Nexus Between the Struggle for Democracy and Iran's Nuclear Ambitions

The Center for the Study of Democracy, Toleration and Religion (CDTR) and the Middle East Institute (MEI) present a lecture entitled, "Civil Liberties, Islam and the Nexus Between the Struggle for Democracy and Iran's Nuclear Ambitions," with Akbar Ganji.He is the winner of the 2006 World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom Award and of the 2006 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders. Mr Ganji was also awarded the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression's International Press Freedom Award in 2000, the Academic Freedom Prize of the Middle East Studies Association of North America in 2005, the Italian Press Freedom Award in 2005 and the National Press Club John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award in 2006. Mr Ganji's most daring articles appeared in 1998, when he uncovered the implication of the Ministry of Intelligence under former president Rafsanjani in a series of killings of regime-critical intellectuals and writers. Mr Ganji's book, Dungeon of Ghosts, is widely regarded as a major contribution to the defeat of conservative candidates in Iran's parliamentary elections of 2000 and the victory of Khatami's pro-reform factions. Mr Ganji was arrested in the spring of 2000 after he took part in an international conference on Iran's future and was imprisoned for nearly six years until his release on March 18, 2006. In his talk, Akbar Ganji speaks about the relationship between Islam, human rights & civil liberties, and addresses the nexus between Iran's internal struggle for democracy and the regime's nuclear ambitions.

(Mar 7, 2007 at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA))

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