Women, Life, Liberty

The Elaheh Omidyar Institute hosted its first symposium on Women, Life, Liberty: Iran's Democratic Future on Jan 14, 2023. A symposium on Iranian studies was held at University of Toronto. During this event, Professor Mohammad Tavakoli Targhi the Director of the Elahe Omidyar Instutute expressed his solidarity with those who lost loved ones in flight 752 and under the Islamic Republic brtual regime. It was on the 8th March 1979 that Tavakoli recalled of the first Iranian movement against forced Hjiab. According to him, women who constituted half of the participants in the revolution were the first to raise the issue of democratic violations by the oppressive regime of the Islamic Republic.

Tavakoli states that Iranian youth challenges the government's values, seeking non-violence, equity, democracy, and human rights.

Several experts have shared their views on Iran's democratic future and role of women in Iran`s movement. This symposium featured scholars and activists including Payam Akhavan, Janet Afary, Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, Fatemeh Shams, Victoria Tahmasebi, Homa Hoodfar, Mina Yazdani, Mehrangiz Kar, Nazila Ghana, Ladan Boroumand, Shahrzad Mojab, Azadeh Pourzand, Alidad Mafinezam, Niloufar Pourzand, women in it, such as Ramin Jahanbegloo, Fatemeh Keshavarz, and Ali Ehsassi.

Shervin's grammy-winning song, "Barayeh," was described as the manifesto of Iranians Women, Life, Liberty movement.

To watch the full recording of this event, click here!