Iran: challenges and opportunities following the nuclear deal

On 2 March 2016, the European Foundation for Democracy hosted a closed-door briefing to discuss what challenges and opportunities exist following the nuclear deal with Iran. The two guest speakers were Nima Rashedan and Shadi Sadr who provided their expertise and offered recommendations for better EU engagement with Iran, following the ratification of the nuclear deal.

Nima Rashedan started his student activities and journalism in 1996 and was among the first to publish his articles in Farsi on the internet. In 1998, he was arrested. In April 1999, he was placed in solitary confinement in Section 209 of Evin prison for a month. After his release, he immigrated to Switzerland. He is among the first Iranian internet activists and an expert in Eastern European affairs. Nima is the current president of The Next Foundation.

Shadi Sadr is a human rights lawyer and the co-founder and Executive Director of Justice for Iran (JFI), a London-based human rights NGO. She was also the founder and director of Raahi, a legal advice centre for women in Tehran, closed by the Iranian authorities in 2007 when Sadr herself was arrested and imprisoned for a two-year term. She is the recipient of several awards including the Lech Walesa Prize from Poland, the Human Rights Tulip from The Netherlands and the Alexander Prize of the Law School of Santa Clara University. Sadr obtained a Master's of International Law from the University of Tehran.