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The Danger of a Genocidal, Nuclear and Rights-Violating Iranian Regime: What Must De Done?

Lecture by Prof. Irwin Cotler
(former Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada)

Introductory remarks:
MP Dr. Hannes Jarolim (Social-Democrat Party Speaker for Justice)
MP Mag. Albert Steinhauser (Green Party Speaker for Justice)

Chair:
Simone Dinah Hartmann (STOP THE BOMB)

Friday, July 3rd 2009, 6:00 PM
Jewish Museum, Dorotheergasse 11, 1010 Vienna

At the beginning of June the Iranian president Ahmadinejad was confirmed in his office in a pseudo-democratic election. The highest religious leader’s Ali Chamenei and the revolutionary guard’s despicable actions after the elections demonstrated again that the most aggressive and fundamental forces within the “Islamic Republic” don’t even think about resigning power. Although an election victory of Ahmadinejad’s opponent wouldn’t have substantially changed anything regarding the anti-Israeli foreign policy, the ongoing support of the national nuclear program or the suppression of the secular and democratic opposition in the country, Ahmadinejad’s victory revealed that those factions of the Iranian regime have prevailed, which reject any verbal thoughtfulness towards the West and any abstinence in suppressing their own citizens.

How could Europe react? What could the Western world counter to this dangerous mixture of aggressive propaganda, annihilation threat and the nuclear program? And why doesn’t Austria support those efforts to consequently pressure the Iranian regime instead of intensifying its economic ties with the Ajatollah’s and Pasderan’s dictatorship? Irwin Cotler, who – together with lawyers like Alan Dershowitz – started an initiative to bring Ahmadinejad and other representatives of the Iranian regime to justice because of agitating for genocide and to pressure the regime with tough and comprehensive sanctions, will exemplify in this lecture his course of action against the leadership in Teheran.

Prof. Irwin Cotler is a former Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada and was a professor of law at McGill University in Montreal. He was elected into the Canadian Parliament in 1999. As a Member of Parliament he founded Parliamentarians for Global Action and the Save Darfur Parliamentary Coalition. As Minister of Justice and Attorney General, he initiated the first indictment under the Canadian War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity Act for incitement to genocide in Rwanda. Prof. Cotler is co-founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism.

Lecture and discussion will be held in English.

This event is organized by STOP THE BOMB and co-sponsored by Scholars for Peace in the Middle East – Austria