Payam Akhavan

The world’s ‘never again’ vow on genocide became a cliché of broken promises. But a recent decision at the International Court of Justice could be a turning point

An excerpt from Payam Akhavan’s 2017 Massey Lecture explores the reality and psychology of ISIS fighters.

From 2017: A call to action from the UN’s youngest-ever war crimes prosecutor

Why there is too much emphasis on nuclear capability

Payam Akhavan, professor of international law at McGill University, today addressed the Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee on International Human Rights. Here are his remarks:

Why challenging Iran over its nuclear program isn’t enough

Sima Samar, chair of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and an honourary officer of the Order of Canada, resigned Thursday from Rights and Democracy, an organization created by Canada’s Parliament in 1988 to promote and protect democracy abroad.

Payam Akhavan reviews the legal and international standards.

Could Canadians actually be charged with war crimes?

For five years, the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, co-founded by McGill international law professor Payam Akhavan, has chronicled human rights abuses committed in Iran since 1979. The centre’s work is based on the conviction that an eventual transition to democracy will not be successful unless a culture of human rights and democratic governance is cultivated, and gross violators of human rights are held to account.

How a McGill prof helped teach Iran’s opposition about non-violent protest

The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center has released a detailed report. Incidentally, one of the centre’s founders, McGill international law professor Payam Ahavan, is featured in an article I wrote in this week’s Maclean’s. I’ll link to it when it’s posted on our website later this week.