Join us for TADP-09, “Sociological Perspectives on the Death Penalty”, November’s contribution to the Zoom series “Towards the Abolition of the Death Penalty” (TADP).  This session introduces sociological perspectives on the death penalty, discussing the sanction from the perspective of critical social theories.

About this session:  The death penalty is deeply embedded within sociological and sociolegal structures of power that shape its justification, administration, and endurance. A sociological inquiry into this sanction is essential to understanding the complexity of the state’s use of lethal force and its connection to broader regimes of inequality. Personal narratives and lived experiences reveal that capital punishment disproportionately targets marginalized and financially disadvantaged social, racial, and identity groups, thereby reproducing systemic hierarchies of privilege and exclusion. These dynamics expose how state violence is legitimized and sustained through institutionalized discourses of justice and security. This session situates the death penalty within critical social theories, examining it as a site where class, race, and state authority converge to uphold the state’s hegemonic power.

Join us and learn from the deep insights of:

Solmaz Alizadeh – Solmaz Alizadeh was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Biophysics at the University of Tehran before immigrating to Canada in 2003 and settling in Toronto. She continued her academic journey at the University of Toronto, earning a Master of Science in Pharmacology in 2004. Solmaz is currently a Senior Manager of Market Access at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Her father, Mahmoud Alizadeh, was a political prisoner arrested in the early 1980s and executed during the mass killings of the summer of 1988. Solmaz has been an outspoken advocate for recognition of the 1988 massacre and has shared her father’s story and her own experience as a family member of one of the victims at various events and public forums.

Mani Azimzadeh – Mani Azimzadeh lives in Toronto. He holds a Master of Education (MEd) in Social Justice Education, with Collaborative Specializations in Sexual Diversity Studies, from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. His research and work interests stem from the discrimination he faced throughout his youth for failing to conform to the ideological demands of the Islamic Republic. He was active as a student in protest movements before leaving Iran in 2011. Through Simorgh, the Iranian Queer community in Toronto, he has been a strong collaborator with the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement and other political opposition groups committed to democratic transformation in Iran. He designs educational programming and courses focused on social justice, democratic engagement, and critical approaches to education. As a Program Manager in a Toronto-based non-profit social work organization, he continues to advocate for social justice within the Iranian diaspora.

Judy Finlay – Judy Finlay is an associate professor in the Faculty of Community Services at Toronto Metropolitan University since 2007. Through the Cross-Over Youth Project, she is investigating how to disrupt the flow of youth to the justice system. She is partnering with northern Ontario First Nations communities to investigate wellness of children and families. She is the member of several boards that advocate for the welfare, rights, mental health and capacity building of Ontario’s children and youth. She has worked on development projects of this nature with Mexico, Jamaica, Japan, Guatemala and Sierra Leone.

Raha Bahreini – Raha Bahreini is an Iranian-Canadian human rights lawyer with an expertise in international human rights law. Since 2014, she has worked as Amnesty International’s researcher on Iran. Before that, she assisted the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran. Bahreini’s work has engaged with a wide range of human rights issues including the death penalty, freedom of expression, association and assembly, torture, women’s rights, discrimination against minorities, gender identity and sexual orientation rights, and transitional justice.

This event is moderated by the great journalist, broadcaster and producer Samira Mohyeddin, journalism fellow, Women and Gender Studies Institute, University of Toronto.

“Towards the Abolition of the Death Penalty” is a panel discussion series on Zoom that aims to provide in-depth discussions on the death penalty from diverse legal, philosophical, sociological, psychological, and political perspectives. The speakers address and put in context current instances of the death penalty, exploring the dynamics involved in this criminal sanction. The series aims to create a dialogical platform for everyone interested in engaging with the abolitionist discourse to discuss the possibilities and challenges to put an end to the death penalty.

The series is offered in a joint partnership between the Paivand Society, the Canadian International Council (Saskatoon Branch), Amnesty International Canada, Carleton University’s Youth and Justice Lab, the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (University of Ottawa), and the Mardom Foundation, as a year-long monthly discussion beginning in February 2025 and concluding in December 2025.