On Monday, April 7, 2008 at 8:00PM in the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts at Sacred Heart University, students, faculty, musicians and prominent human rights activists come together in a concert of words and music to express solidarity with dissident Iranian students, minorities, intellectuals and labourers, and highlight the flagrant violations of their most basic freedoms by the Islamic Republic in Iran.

The Freedom Concert draws inspiration from the student protests of 18th Tir or the 8th July 1999 and the One Million Signatures Campaign for women’s equality of today. Its organizers, a diverse coalition of student organizations, academic departments, the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, and HAMSA, a civil rights initiative of the American Islamic Congress, hope to raise consciousness about ways to work with Iranian dissidents, especially students, in their struggle to strengthen civil society, cultivate human rights, and build a liberal democracy in Iran.   

The Freedom Concert's keynote addresses will be delivered by Lily Mazahery and Kianoosh Sanjari. Ms. Mazahery, a Persian-American human rights lawyer, activist and founder of the Washington, D.C. based Legal Rights Institute has a distinguished record of advocacy and activism on behalf of human rights victims around the world.  She has managed several high profile cases of dissident Iranian students, and has initiated and spearheaded a number of international campaigns for the rights of women and children around the world, including Iran.

Mr. Sanjari is one of Iran's most recognized and well-known student activists and bloggers.  The now 25 year-old was first imprisoned at the age of 17 for his activism, and has spent substantial time in and out of prison under severe torture, including 111 days in solitary confinement in Iran's notorious Evin prison.  A member of the Iranian Democratic Front, Kianoosh fled Iran in 2007, and with the assistance of Amnesty International and other entities he was successful in receiving political asylum in Europe.  Since obtaining asylum, Mr. Sanjari has continued his steadfast activism on behalf of students, prisoners, and other victims of human rights violations in Iran.   This will be his first speaking engagement at an American university.

In poignant contrast to Iran where such an event would be illegal, the Freedom Concert will also feature live musical performances by Honest Abe and The Emancipators, Charlie “CHAZ” Cybulski, Grown Up Noise, ICE Brothers, Pete Greco & Buck Mulligan, Jeff Leblanc, and Joe Beleznay.  

COiSPONSORS: I ran Human Rights Documentation Center, HAMSA (Hands Across the Mideast Support Alliance), Committee to Protect Bloggers, Tharwa Foundation, Center for Faith and Public Life at Fairfield University, SHU's College of Arts and Sciences, Middle East Studies Program, Center for Catholic Thought, Ethics, and Culture, Women's Studies Program, International/Multicultural Center, Campus Ministry, Departments of Government and Politics, History, and Religious Studies and Philosophy, International Club, Commuter Council, College Democrats, College Republicans, Mock Trial Team, Debate Society, Free Style Club, Amnesty International SHU Chapter, ONE Campaign SHU Chapter, Student Government, Project Nur @ SHU, Students in Free Enterprise, GSA, Omega Phi Kappa Multicultural Fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi, UMOJA, Nosce te Ipsum, and Thomas More Honors Council.  

Special thanks to the accomplished Iranian artist Babak, and American artist Michael Michaud, for allowing us to use their work in support of the Freedom Concert. To see more visit: http://www.myspace.com/ba2k and http://www.athouzendwordz.com.

For more information contact:

Jason Guberman-Pfeffer
jasondgp@gmail.com
AIC-HAMSA Civil Rights Fellow

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE PREVIOUS CONCERT AT HARVARD