Nazanin on Human Rights in Iran

CNN. September 21, 2008

A human rights activist and former beauty queen talks to CNN's Asieh Namdar about protesting child executions in Iran.

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Nazanin Afshin-Jam is an international human rights activist, singer/songwriter, actor, model, former Miss World Canada and President and co-founder of Stop Child Executions organization.

She was born in Tehran in 1979 at the height of Irans Islamic revolution and a year later her family was forced to flee after her non-political father was arrested and tortured at the hands of the fundamentalists.

Nazanin began community service at a young age. She was heavily involved in school life, co-founded a Global Issues club in her highschool and received the schools top honour. She became a pilot, licensed to fly both powered aircraft and gliders and achieved the highest rank in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets as Warrant Officer First Class.

After graduating with a double-major degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of British Columbia with exchanges to the International study Center at Herstmonceux Castle in England and at lInstitut dEtudes Politiques de Paris in France, Nazanin became an advocate by volunteering as a Global Youth Educator with the Red Cross teaching on subjects ranging from the Landmine Crisis, Children affected by War, the Poverty-Disease Cycle and Natural Disasters.

Nazanin searched for a way to gain a stronger voice to spread awareness to the masses. After learning of Miss Worlds motto beauty with a purpose and aim to raise money for childrens charities around the world, Nazanin entered and won the title of Miss Canada and came 1st runner up at Miss World in front of 2.2 billion viewers.

In 2006 Nazanin searched for another platform to reach the masses and began her journey as a singer/songwriter writing lyrics about issues close to her heart. Near album completion, a human rights violation emerged from Iran that affected Afshin-Jam so strongly she felt compelled to put her music on hold and turn all of her attention towards it.

In January of that year, an Iranian judge sentenced 17-year old Nazanin Fatehi to death for killing a man in self defense as he and two other men attempted to rape her and her 15-year old niece in a park in Iran. Outraged by the unjust sentence, Nazanin started an international campaign and petition to save her namesakes life. The Save Nazanin Campaign attracted significant international media coverage and the ensuing public and government support led to more than 350,000 signatures being collected on the petition which was presented to the United Nations and Iranian government. With the pressure from the international community, in June 2006 the head of Judiciary in Iran ordered a new trial, and in January 2007 Nazanin Fatehi was released after Nazanin raised $43,000 on-line for bail while her lawyers worked on her case. Nazanin eventually continued her music and released a multilingual, pop-world beat album called Someday in April 2007 which charted in the US and UK. The music video for her anthem like single Someday became an instant hit with 300 000 viewers in the first month of release.

Nazanins battle against child executions continues. She co-founded the Stop Child Executions organization found on the web at:

www.stopchildexecutions.com

with the goal of halting the practice in Iran and in the handful of other countries where it still continues.

Through her speeches and music Nazanin hopes to continue being a voice for the voiceless and deliver her messages of freedom, peace and love worldwide.

Category:

News & Politics

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• model
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• Child
• Executions
• civil
• iran
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• beauty
• queen

[NobelMan1000]

what a shame for iranians living in US, they are helping the neocons to build up the case for a full scale war against their nation which will result in a mass murder of innocent Iranians by american military machine

[MrSallaheldin]

@gooroot cool argument..! ;) well said

[gooroot]

@BurnbyBcCanada and yet women are such an important part of the parliment in over what 20,30 asain countries starting with islamic countires like pakistan, and yet in the united states, canada, and so forth a women has not once been the head ruler of a country. and by the way wonem get paid 73 cents on the dollar compared to men, if islam doesnt allow a women to be a full witness, well western countries are just as good as being sexist!

[kushmangula80]

naznin jooooooooooooooooooooooooooon bokhoramet jigar

[raminss80]

no i saw his cock when he was fuckin Hillary Clinton biatch

[BurnbyBcCanada]

@gooroot Bullshit

Its all talk.

If they are the most valued how come they arent equal to men? How come they are considered half a person when they appear in court as witness?

[BurnbyBcCanada]

@raminss80 You must have seen his cock when he fu cked your mother right?

[BurnbyBcCanada]

@IRANMUSICC how did she do that?

[IRANMUSICC]

She just sold her nationality on CNN , vatanforoush