Talk – 'Judicial Forbearance Advocacy: Conflict and Mediation in Iranian Criminal Courts'

April 11, 5 p.m., College of Law Building, Charles E. Ares Auditorium 164 (outdoor classroom)

Iran's criminal justice system affords victims of crime the right of retributive sanctioning. At the same time, the law encourages victims to forgo that right. The penal code also compels judicial officials to attempt to achieve reconciliation. However, the law provides little guidance, eitherto victims or judicial officials, on how to bring about reconciliation. This talk explores Iran's victim-centered criminal justice system through an examination of judges' roles in mediation and further reflects on the relationship between forbearance andrights in criminal justice. Register here.

About the speaker:

Arzoo Osanloo is a legal anthropologist (JD, Washington College of Law, American University; PhD, Anthropology, Stanford University) who is an associate professor in the Department of Law, Societies, and Justice and the Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Washington, Seattle. She is the author of "The Politics of Women’s Rights in Iran" (Princeton University Press, 2009), which analyzes the politicization of women's "rights talk" in Iran. Her second book, "Codifying Mercy: Forgiveness Work and Victims' Rights in Iranian Criminal Sanctioning" (Princeton University Press, forthcoming), examines the Muslim mandates of forgiveness, compassion, and mercy as they take shape through Iran's criminal justice system.