Firuz Kazemzadeh of U. S. Commission on Religious Freedom to Speak

Religious freedom and the survival of minorities will be the topic of discussion when the International Human Rights Law Institute (IHRLI) at DePaul University hosts Firuz Kazemadeh, one of the foremost spokesmen for the American Baha’i, at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 14 at the DePaul Conference Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., 8th Floor. His address is part of the IHRLI’s Memory and Conscience Distinguished Lecture Series.

Kazemzadeh, who has testified frequently before the House International Relations and Senate Foreign Relations committees about the religious repression of Baha’is abroad, serves on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (CIRF). The commission was created by federal statute in 1998 to make recommend U.S. government responds to violations of religious freedom by foreign governments.

Born in the Iranian Embassy in Moscow, Kazemzadeh attended Harvard and Yale universities. He currently is a professor emeritus of history at Yale, where he taught Russian history until his retirement in 1992. He has served variously as director of graduate studies in Russian and Eastern European Studies; chair of the Committee on Middle Eastern Studies; director of graduate studies in history; and master of Davenport College, a residential college at Yale.

Kazemzadeh has penned books about Russia, Britain and Persia and co-authored others relating to Russia and Central America. Since 1966, he has served as editor of World Order Magazine.

The IHRLI initiated the ongoing Memory and Conscience Distinguished Lecturer series in 1996. It provides a forum where noted experts and survivors of historical events—especially those with distinct human rights overtones--can engage the community in dialogue.

The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Call Kay Dabrowski at 312/362-5728 for reservations or additional details.

Editor’s note—Reporters wishing to cover Kazemzadeh’s address should contact Valerie Phillips at 312/362-5039.