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The Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation (ABF) is pleased to announce the opening of its special exhibit, Interrupted Lives, at George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, Virginia. This exhibit is co-sponsored with Amnesty International USA and Amnesty International GMU.
Interrupted Lives will open daily from December 6-9, 2010 in Dewberry Hall North at GMU (Fairfax campus) in Fairfax, Virginia. The exhibit highlights the lives of Iranian youth, in particular high school and university students, among whom several thousands have been victims of politically motivated arrests or executions at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran over the last 30 years.
In the past three years, the government’s effort to silence students has intensified – especially in the wake of the presidential election last year – and thousands of students have been harassed, arrested, imprisoned, tortured and killed – for their peaceful activities claiming their most basic rights including freedom of expression, association, and assembly.
Interrupted Lives showcases stories from Omid, ABF’s web-based searchable memorial containing thousands of cases of assassinations and executions committed by Iranian government forces, along with texts from ABF’s Human Rights and Democracy Library. Photographs by young Iranian bloggers will also be displayed, as well as photographs by renowned professional photographers who have recently fled Iran.
The foundation hopes that this combination of art and evidence will raise awareness of the plight of young Iranians whose hopes continue to be shattered, encourage solidarity on campuses around the U.S., and ultimately motivate visitors to further engage in and mobilize efforts toward combating injustice in Iran.
The Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation is a grantee of the National Endowment for Democracy.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010. Freedom of expression, justice and reconciliation in Lebanon. Freedom House hosts a discussion on the challenges facing freedom of expression, justice and reconciliation in Lebanon. Panelists: De Gaulle Eid Writer, producer and director of the film Chou Sar? (What Happened?); Pierre Abi Saab, Journalist, Al-Akhbar, Lebanon; Habib Nassar, Acting Director, Middle East and North Africa, International Center for Transitional Justice.
Chou Sar? (What Happened?), a documentary film directed by De Gaulle Eid, follows him as he returns to his village in northern Lebanon where thirteen members of his family were massacred. The perpetrators still live, protected by a nation-wide amnesty for crimes committed during the civil war. The film was banned by Lebanese General Security for “inciting sectarianism,” on the grounds that it confronts questions of justice and reconciliation that the government would prefer remained unanswered. The ban inspired a public outcry and an advocacy campaign led by bloggers, journalists and activists who called for the authorities to lift the ban of the movie. On October 19, 2010, a ministerial committee created by Prime Minister Saad Hariri to look into the question of censorship, decided to allow the screening of the documentary only at “cultural events.” 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm Venue: Freedom House: 1301 Connecticut Avenue 4th floor, Washington, DC. RSVP to intern-mena-1@freedomhouse.org
More events here.
