Events
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 2012
- Wednesday, October 17, 6:30 pm – chapter meeting at AI offices (53 W. Jackson)
November 2012
- Friday, November 9th and Saturday, November 10th: Midwest Regional Conference at Northeastern Illinois
- Sunday, November 11: The Baha’i House of Worship, Foundation Hall (100 Linden Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091)
Amnesty International group 50 (Evanston, IL) is hosting an event highlighting the dire human rights situation in Iran on Sunday November 11 at 1 pm. We are honored to host Dr. Kamiar Alaei and Dr. Arash Alaei, former prisoners of conscience in Iran. The Alaei brothers are compassionate physicians and are internationally renowned experts in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. They were instrumental in establishing innovative and humane public health programs in Iran. The brothers have dedicated their lives to helping some of the most marginalized and stigmatized groups in Iranian society—HIV-infected drug users, sex workers, LGBT individuals and prison inmates.
The World Health Organization considered their programs as models for the entire Middle East and North Africa. Their hard work brought rare favorable world attention to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Because their professional work involved collaboration with American colleagues and participation in international scientific and medical conferences held in the United States, the brothers were persecuted by the Iranian government who accused them of involvement in an American plot to undermine the Iranian government; they were arrested, tortured, convicted for “cooperating with an enemy government” after an unfair trial in a Revolutionary Court, and served several years in prison. After a sustained campaign on their behalf led by Physicians for Human Rights, Amnesty International, and other partners, the brothers were released from prison. They are currently unable to carry out their important work in their native country. Undeterred, they continue to work on the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS among marginalized and persecuted populations around the world.
Also speaking will be Bani Dugal,Principal Representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations. The Baha’i community faces systemic persecution by the Iranian authorities.
Participants will learn about actions they can take to advocate for human rights in Iran. There will be music by Alessandro Giua and Baha’is House of Worship Choir, under the direction of Van Gilmer.
PAST EVENTS
April 2012
Get On the Bus for Human Rights inaugural event in Chicago – WBEZ audio recording
May 2012
Nobel Peace Summit in Chicago – Aung San Suu Ky’s message
