Human Rights in Iran: International Law Mechanisms for Justice & Accountability

The recent death of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Jina Amini in custody of the Islamic Republic of Iran in September, 2022, and the subsequent executions of protestors by the Islamic Republic, has brought renewed interest in human rights in Iran. 

The International Section of the NY State Bar Association will convene a two-part webcast to address recent developments in international human rights law and mechanisms for accountability for perpetrators of human rights crimes and justice for victims. Part 1covered developments in the U.S., including the MAHSA Act, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives; opportunities for civil litigation against perpetrators of human rights crimes; and legal processes for freezing and potentially seizing assets for compensation of victims. In addition, the speakers present on recent actions taken by the United Nations to address these crimes, including removing the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women and the establishment of a fact-finding mission by the U.N. Human Rights Council to investigate alleged human rights violations in Iran.

Part 2 of the Human Rights in Iran panels will take place this fall on the topic of universal jurisdiction and the implications of the Hamid Nouri trial in Sweden. Hamid Nouri is an Iranian official detained in Sweden and found guilty in connection with his actions as a key figure in the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners, a massacre of between 2,800 to 30,000 Iranians (according to various estimates).

Speakers

Program Chair: Prof. Azish E. Filabi, Executive Director, the American College Center for Ethics in Financial Services; Chair, NYSBA International Section

Nushin Sarkarati, Atlantic Council

Gissou Nia, Atlantic Council, Director of Strategic Litigation Project