Editor's note: Although tickets are sold out, people can watch Shirin Ebadi's speech online through a live webcast by visiting the UC Davis home page

Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer and social-justice activist who won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, will give a free talk about human rights and freedom of speech at UC Davis on May 17.

Ebadi's lecture, "Human Rights, Democracy and Islam," will begin at 8 p.m. in Jackson Hall of the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. Her speech will be in Farsi, but she will be accompanied by an English interpreter.

"Ms. Ebadi's work on behalf of children's and women's rights, human rights and freedom of expression within Iran shows a singular dedication to building a better society despite the immense political obstacles," said UC Davis Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef.

"Since our own trip to Iran one year ago last May," Vanderhoef added, "UC Davis has been pursuing its goal of reestablishing academic ties, reopening the free exchange of students and scholars and furthering cultural understanding with Ms. Ebadi's country. We believe her talk will build another bridge between our two peoples."

Ebadi's lecture here has been coordinated by event leaders on campus from University Outreach and International Programs, the Middle East/South Asia Studies Program, and the School of Law, all of whom see a special connection between Ebadi's message and the UC Davis community.

Anthropology and women and gender studies professor Suad Joseph, who directs the ME/SA program, said UC Davis students will be inspired by Ebadi's lifelong professional activities in Iran.

"Shirin Ebadi was the first Iranian and first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize," Joseph said. "She took a brave stand after the Iranian revolution to protest the demotion of female judges and yet continued her work on behalf of freedom of speech and the rights of women and children."

Ebadi's work in public-interest law also sets an example for UC Davis law students, according to Kevin Johnson, the law school's associate dean for academic affairs.

"We're particularly happy that Shirin Ebadi is coming to UC Davis because her dedication to human rights and social justice echoes the focus at the UC Davis School of Law," he said.

UC Davis has a special interest in building ties to Iran. Last spring, Vanderhoef traveled there, accompanied by Sacramento businessman and UC Davis Foundation board member Mohammad Mohanna and several campus academic leaders.

At the time, the UC Davis travelers were told they were the first U.S. university delegation permitted to visit Iran since that country's 1979 revolution. The UC Davis contingent met with representatives of four universities, alumni and friends of the campus and Iran President Mohammed Khatami's Parliament-member brother.

Calling the trip "a fruitful first step," the UC Davis group has been exploring ways to ease visa restrictions, a "2 and 2 program" that would permit Iranian students to study the first two years at their home university and the next two years at UC Davis, possible research collaborations and student exchanges, and the creation of an alumni chapter.

UC Davis' interest in promoting cultural understanding with Iran and other countries comes at a time when Ebadi is using her prominence as a Nobel Peace Prize winner to continue championing the rights of refugees, women and children through periodic visits to U.S. universities, where she is reaching out to students and the surrounding communities.

Ebadi, born in 1947 into a family of academics and practicing Muslims, moved to Tehran with her family when she was a 1-year-old. She received her law degree from University of Tehran in 1969 and began serving as a judge in the Department of Justice. She was the first woman in the history of Iranian justice to have served as a judge.

While serving as a judge, she continued her education and earned a doctorate with honors in private law from University of Tehran in 1971. In 1975, she became the President of Bench 24 of the Tehran City Court.

Ebadi's career on the bench ended soon after the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

"Since the belief was that Islam forbids women to serve as judges, I and other female judges were dismissed from our posts and given clerical duties," Ebadi said in her autobiography posted on the Nobelprize.org Web site. Although the women protested and the Iranian legal administrators promoted all former female judges to "experts" in the Justice Department, Ebadi said she requested an early retirement because she could not tolerate the situation any longer.

She was housebound for the next 13 years until obtaining a lawyer's license and setting up a private practice in 1992. Once licensed, Ebadi has litigated many cases, several of national renown, dealing with serial murder victims, freedom of expression issues in which journalists or their families have been accused or sentenced, child abuse and women's rights for mothers who have lost custody of their children. She is also a university professor.

Even before her Nobel Prize, in her quest to promote human rights, Ebadi delivered dozens of lectures throughout Europe and the United States.

Although she has been imprisoned several times for her work on religious freedom and free speech, Ebadi has rejected calls from Iranian reformers to become more active in politics.

"I don't wish to enter into the political struggle," she said at a press conference at Stanford University in May 2004. "I'm not the leader of a political party. I'm not a model for anyone. I'm simply a defense attorney. In my opinion, what has caused Iran to become a despotic society for centuries, what has turned us away from democracy during this period, is a culture of hero worship."

To obtain free tickets for the talk, visit the Mondavi Center ticket window on campus or the Web at http://www.mondaviarts.org. You can also call (530) 754-ARTS (2787), but a $5 service fee will be charged.

To order tickets online, go to http://www.mondaviarts.org and click on "Tickets," then on "Purchase Single Event Tickets," then on "Other Listings," and finally on "Shirin Ebadi." Follow the directions on that page.