Canadian Journalists Presents: Our Future Society Will be A Free Society

TORONTO, March 4 /CNW/ - On Friday, March 5, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) presents Maziar Bahari making his first public appearance in Canada since his release from an Iranian prison in October 2009. He will be interviewed by Toronto Star Columnist and Deputy Editorial Page Editor Martin Regg Cohn.

The event is being presented in collaboration with Toronto Initiative for Iranian Studies, Iranian Association at the University of Toronto (IAUT) and Campaign (Cycling) for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). The March 5 event is part of CJFE's participation in an international campaign to free writers and journalists still imprisoned in Iran. More information about the campaign can be found at: http://www.oursocietywillbeafreesociety.org/.

    
    WHO:

    -   Maziar Bahari is an Iranian-Canadian playwright, film-maker, and
        journalist. Bahari graduated with a degree in communications from
        Concordia University. He has produced a number of documentaries and
        news reports for Channel 4 and BBC on subjects as varied as Ayatollah
        Sistani, Muqtada al-Sadr and human rights in Iraq. In 1998, Bahari
        became Newsweek magazine's Iran correspondent. During the 2009
        Iranian election protests he was arrested without charge, and
        detained. He was coerced into a televised confession acknowledging
        Western journalists as spies. Bahari was held in solitary confinement
        in Evin Prison in Iran where he was interrogated daily. After 118
        days in jail, Bahari was released on bail on October 20, 2009. His
        arrest and detention reported around the world.
    -   Interviewer: Martin Regg Cohn is Deputy Editorial Page Editor. A
        foreign correspondent for 11 years, he was Chief of the Star's Middle
        East and Asia bureaus and most recently Foreign Editor. He has
        reported from more than 40 countries, ranging from Afghanistan to
        North Korea and Sudan. His column appears Tuesdays.

    WHEN:  Friday, March 5 2010/ Doors open at: 5:30pm Starts: 6:00 p.m.

    WHERE: The Blue Room (1105), Sanford Fleming Building, U of T.,
           10 Kings's College Road, Toronto

    TICKETS & INFO: Seating is general admission; suggested donation of $5 at
                    the door.
    

About Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is an association of more than 300 journalists, editors, publishers, producers, students and others who work to promote and defend free expression and press freedom in Canada and around the world.

For further information: Julie Payne, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, [phone] x.226, [email protected]