Iran beyond the headlines: law, human rights, and accountability
This is an online, public event and EDI-accredited by the Law Society of Ontario for 1 EDI professionalism hour, but it is open to everyone.
Date: Sunday, February 8
Time: 4:30 PM ET
Format: Online
Registration: Required
Register at: jewishlawyers.ca
Why this conversation matters
• Iran’s crisis is not only political, it is legal, human, and global
• Decisions made in democratic states affect real lives inside Iran
• Accountability under international law begins with understanding
Speakers
Host: Alan H. Kessel
Former Assistant Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs and Legal Adviser to Global Affairs Canada and former Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He has represented Canada before the United Nations and the International Court of Justice on issues including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
Featured speakers
Avideh Motmaen-Far
Belgian Canadian journalist and human rights activist of Iranian descent whose work has appeared in major Canadian and American publications. A long-time advocate for accountability and human rights in Iran.
Sadeq Bigdeli
Ontario Barrister and Solicitor and Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. Former international trade negotiator for Iran who later resigned after concluding the regime is structurally unreformable. He now focuses on human rights advocacy and legal accountability.
Iran beyond the headlines: Law, Human rights, and Accountability
Iran is being discussed everywhere right now, yet most conversations are driven by fragments, outrage, or headlines without context.
What is missing is calm, serious explanation:
• What is actually happening inside Iran
• Why reform efforts have repeatedly failed
• What international law can and cannot do
• Why this matters far beyond Iran’s borders
Next Sunday, a public online conversation will bring together legal, human rights, and lived-experience perspectives to unpack these questions in a way that is accessible, grounded, and responsible.
Iran beyond the headlines: law, human rights, and accountability
This is an online, public event and EDI-accredited by the Law Society of Ontario for 1 EDI professionalism hour, but it is open to everyone and not limited to lawyers.