Please join us on Saturday, May 10 at 12:30pm-2:30pm EDT for the fourth webinar in this monthly series on the abolition of the death penalty. This series is sponsored by Amnesty International Canada, Carleton University’s Youth & Justice Lab, The Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa, The Canadian International Council (Saskatchewan Branch), The Mardom Foundation, The Paivand Society and the campaign United Against Executions in Iran.
Politics and violence are intertwined concepts. On the one hand, the polis (the political realm) is created to, ideally, eliminate, or at its very least, limit, the instances of violence. On the other hand, the majority of legal and political systems are typically born out of violence. Capital punishment is a manifestation of abuse of political power for purposes e.g. manufacturing an economy of fear and death and maintaining control over the populace. This sanction takes various forms, ranging from public execution to assassination. This session explores the use of lethal force by the state in its various forms as an instance of political violence.
Speakers
- Parastou Forouhar | Independent Artist
- Hamed Esmailion | Author and Activist
- Hilary Homes | Amnesty International Canada
Moderator — Samira Mohyeddin | Journalism Fellow, Women & Gender Studies Institute (WGSI), University of Toronto
Upcoming webinars in this series on the abolition of the death penalty
Towards the Abolition of the Death Penalty is a virtual panel discussion series that will tackle the complex question of the death penalty with a view to its abolition in retentionist states, particularly in the contemporary context of the Middle East, in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. The panel series will provide in-depth discussions on the death penalty from diverse legal, philosophical, sociological, psychological, and political perspectives. The speakers will address and put in context current instances of the death penalty, exploring the dynamics involved in this criminal sanction. The series aims to create a dialogical platform for everyone interested in engaging with the abolitionist discourse to discuss the possibilities and challenges to put an end to the death penalty. Each session will introduce the audience to significant aspects of capital punishment, expounding theoretical and practical particularities of the sanction.
June 14 – Session 5, Islam and the Death Penalty
Fereshteh Vasmaghi, Lawyer, Poet, Human Rights Activist
Hasan Fereshtian, Defence Attorney of Iranian Dissidents
July 12 – Session 6, Global and Regional Perspectives: Abolition challenges and opportunities
John Packer, Associate Professor of Law, Director Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa
Omid Milani,Fellow, Human Rights Research and Education Centre, Artist, University of Ottawa
September 13 – Session 7, Capital Punishment and the Iranian legal system
Hossein Raeesi, Iranian lawyer, defended death penalty cases in Shiraz for 20 years, Adjunct Professor, Carleton University
Hasan Fereshtian, Defence Attorney of Iranian Dissidents
October 11 – Session 8, Children, Trauma and the Death Penalty
Judy Finlay, Child Welfare and Children’s Mental Health advocate, Toronto Metropolitan University
Hossein Raeesi, Iranian lawyer, defended death penalty cases in Shiraz for 20 years, Adjunct Professor, Carleton University
Sandra Joy, Professor of Sociology, studies impact of death penalty on families, Rowan University
November 8 – Session 9, Sociological Perspectives
Hosein Ghazian, Iranian Sociologist, Theorist, Commentator, Researcher, Author, Photographer
Saeed Paivandi, Professor of Education, University of Lorraine
December 10 – Session 10, Non-Violence and Forgiveness (Human Rights Day)
Payam Akhavan, Massey Chair in Human Rights, human rights lawyer, University of Toronto
Ramin Jahanbegloo, Director of ‘Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, New Delhi, Visiting Professor, St. Andrews University
Omid Milani, Fellow, Human Rights Research and Education Centre, Artist, University of Ottawa
Note: dates and speakers subject to change
Poster & Artwork Design © Omid Milani
