EVENING HOST

Sigourney Weaver
Actor; Board Member, Human Rights First

Sigourney Weaver is one of the most versatile actors of her generation, equally at home on stage and on screen. Her work includes the Alien series, Ghostbusters, The Year of Living Dangerously, The Ice Storm, Death and the Maiden, and Infamous. Weaver will next be seen in James Cameron’s Avatar, Prayers for Bobby on Lifetime, and David Auburn’s Girl in the Park. She has been on the Human Rights First Board of Directors since 1986.

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

Mary Chapin Carpenter
Singer and songwriter

Mary Chapin Carpenter’s albums, which include Come On Come On, Between Here and Gone, and The Calling, have earned her five Grammy Awards and sold more than 13 million copies. Her songwriting often touches on public and political themes, such as the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and the Bosnian War, and speak to faith, commitment, hope, and humanity. Carpenter is also a humanitarian, performing in support of AIDS research, the ban on landmines, and hunger relief. Her new album, Come Darkness, Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas, was released on September 30th, 2008.

PRESENTERS

Saad Eddin Ibrahim
Visiting Professor, Indiana University Law School

Saad Eddin Ibrahim is Egypt’s leading advocate for democracy and human rights. In 2002, he was sentenced to seven years of hard labor for “tarnishing Egypt’s reputation” because of his documentation of religious discrimination and election irregularities. A pioneer of the Middle East human rights movement, he directed Egypt’s leading independent social research organization. Human Rights First advocated for Ibrahim’s release and honored him in 2002 with the Human Rights Award, while he was still in prison. The convictions were later overturned. In August 2008, he was again convicted, in absentia, for harming Egypt’s reputation abroad. Unable to return to his country since 2007, he still fights for reform.

Asma Jahangir
Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief of the United Nations Human Rights Council

Asma Jahangir is one of Pakistan’s leading human rights activists and was a recipient of our Human Rights Award in 1999. A lawyer by profession, Jahangir practices in the Supreme and High Courts in Pakistan. She also helped establish the first law firm run by women in Pakistan. Despite threats, imprisonment, and two house arrests, she has represented minorities, women and children, and other clients who have been denied their fundamental rights. Most notably, Jahangir fought for the rights of brick kiln workers and succeeded in getting parliament to pass legislation in favor of bonded workers.

Kerry Kennedy
Founder of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights; Board Member, Human Rights First

Kerry Kennedy has dedicated her life to defending justice, rights, and the rule of law. Kennedy began human rights work in 1981, investigating abuses by U.S. immigration officials against Salvadoran refugees. She has since led over 40 human rights delegations internationally. Kennedy is the author of Speak Truth to Power: Human Rights Defenders Who Are Changing Our World, which has spurred a global education initiative. She recently published Being Catholic Now: Prominent Americans Talk about Change in the Church and the Quest for Meaning.

Mary Robinson
Founder and President, Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative

Mary Robinson is a leading human rights advocate and the former president of Ireland. Robinson was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 until 2002. She is the chair of several organizations, including the Fund for Global Human Rights, the Council of Women World Leaders, and the GAVI Fund Board. Robinson is Honorary President of Oxfam International and Patron of the International Community of Women Living with AIDS. She teaches at Columbia University, the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and is the Chancellor of Dublin University. She was honored with the Human Rights Award by Human Rights First in 1997.

William D. Zabel
Founding Partner, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP; Chair, Board of Directors, Human Rights First

Bill Zabel is one of the country’s leading experts on trusts and estates law. For the last 40 years, Zabel has been a prominent advocate for human rights in this country and abroad. In addition to his leadership of Human Rights First, Zabel is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of amfAR, the International Longevity Center—USA, and the Mailman School of Public Health, among others, and is legal advisor to the Soros network of foundations. He is also a trustee of The New School and New York University.