For 8 months, the people of Iran, led by women, have risked life, liberty, and livelihood to protest flagrant government-sponsored and facilitated infringements upon their human rights. Simultaneously, people across Russia have also risked life, liberty, and livelihood to protest ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine. Thanks to the power of the internet and social media platforms, their bravery—both in Iran and in Russia—has been heard and seen around the world, prompting their respective regimes to restrict and even cut off access to essential communication tools and platforms. Leaders across the public and private sectors have banded together to amplify the voices of these Iranians and Russians and to ensure that their protests are not in vain. What is the role of the internet and technology in ensuring the rights of people around the world? How are these women combatting the criminalization of connectivity and using the internet to fuel their resistance? How can we, as individuals and institutions abroad, best utilize our social and financial capital to center the voices of the oppressed? Will their calls reverberate to empower a rising generation of women across the globe? 

Introductory Remarks

Arielle Yael Mokhtarzadeh

Associate Director, Global Programming, Milken Institute

Moderator

Moj Mahdara

Founder and Managing Partner, Kinship Ventures, LLC; Founder, Iranian Diaspora Collective

Speakers

Yasmin Green

CEO, Jigsaw

Nadya Tolokonnikova

Creator, Pussy Riot