Toronto, June 10, 2013 – Imprisoned human rights lawyer, women’s rights activist and writer Nasrin Sotoudeh will receive an honorary degree from York University on Wednesday, June 12, at the 10:30am convocation ceremony. Her longtime colleague and friend Karim Lahidji, Iranian lawyer and human rights activist who was recently elected President of the International Federation for Human Rights, will be present to read a message written by Nasrin in prison and accept the distinction on her behalf.

Since graduating with a degree in law from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran and passing the Bar, Nasrin Sotoudeh has represented victims of human rights violations, including political dissidents such as Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, and families of executed political prisoners. She has also taken on cases of child abuse and spousal abuse. As a leading Iranian human rights lawyer and women’s rights activist, she was an initiator of the “One-Million Signature Campaign”, an attempt to reform the Islamic Family Law. Arrested in 2010 on charges of conspiring against national security, she was imprisoned in solitary confinement in Iran’s Evin Prison, where she remains today.

Her courageous work fighting for justice and freedom under the most difficult and life-threatening of conditions has been recognized with several international prizes, including one from Italy’s Committee for Human Rights, the US PEN Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award, and the European Parliament’s prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

Convocation ceremonies will take place at the Convocation Pavilion located at the Rexall Centre, 1 Shoreham Drive, at York University’s Keele campus (#8 on map).

Ceremonies will be webcast at the following link, which will become live when ceremonies begin: http://www.yorku.ca/mygrad/livewebcast.

York University is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. York U’s unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A York U degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre, York U is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. York U’s 11 faculties and 28 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 288 leading universities worldwide. York U's community is strong − 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 250,000 alumni.

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Media Contact:
Joanne Rider, York University, 416 736 5593 / jrider@yorku.ca
Robin Heron, York University, 416 736-2100, ext.22097 / rheron@yorku.ca