April 19, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Stacia Momburg
805-756-6260
smomburg@calpoly.edu

2003 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Shirin Ebadi to Speak at Cal Poly May 1

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Persian Students of Cal Poly will host a talk by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Shirin Ebadi on Tuesday, May 1, at 7 p.m. in Harman Hall in the Christopher Cohan Center. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available at the Performing Arts Center and costs $6.

During her talk, “Iran Awakening: A Story of Revolution and Hope,” Ebadi will discuss her experiences as a woman in Iran – from her childhood in a loving family before the 1979 revolution, to her life as a mother and lawyer battling an oppressive regime while raising her daughters.

An advocate for refugee rights, as well as those of women and children, she is the founder and leader of the Association for Support of Children's Rights in Iran.

In 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her courageous efforts for democracy and human rights, especially the rights of women and children in Iran. One of the first female judges in Iran, she received a law degree from the University of Tehran and served as president of the city court of Tehran from 1975 to 1979.

Author of several books and articles on human rights, Ebadi has had several books translated into English, including “The Rights of the Child: A Study of Legal Aspects of Children's Rights in Iran,” published with support from UNICEF, and “History and Documentation of Human Rights in Iran.” In 2006, Random House published her memoir, “Iran Awakening,” with Iranian-American co-author Azadeh Moaveni.

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Note to editors: Shirin Ebadi requires a translator. Please contact Stacia Momburg to schedule interviews or for a high-resolution photo.

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