credit: @facundoarrizabalaga

18 students from across a range of Goldsmiths departments, including Politics and International Relations, Sociology, ICCE and Law, attended the 2024 Orwell Memorial Lecture delivered by Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, on ‘The Feeling of Freedom’. Nazanin was detained in Iran in April 2016 and was held hostage for six years. Many people campaigned for her during her incarceration, leading to her release in March 2022.

Nazanin delivered a powerful and uplifting memorial lecture, drawing on her harrowing experience of being incarcerated for 6 years in Iran (for having simply been a British-Iranian woman, in the wrong place at the wrong time). Only you would not know it was a harrowing and soul-destroying time, listening to her lecture; she instead chose to concentrate on the power of the human soul and mind, especially when it finds solace in community with others. Nazanin spoke from the heart about the relationships with other Iranian incarcerated women, and with books, with literature and philosophy, that allowed her to retain her strength and humanity, in the brutal and Kafkaesque world in which she found herself.

The visit was organised as part of the Beyond the Classroom initiative, which exposes students to a wealth of activities and opportunities, in cultural, political, legal and intellectual London.

Students’ reactions after the lecture included the following:

Khushi, an LLB Law student in her first year of studies, observed:

“The lecture was incredibly inspiring. What really struck me was Nazanin’s bravery in continuing to advocate for people who may be in a similar position or for people who don’t know much about experiences like these, as well as honouring people she met in prison. Hearing her story was a powerful reminder of how fragile freedom really is, and it was really impactful.”

A Politics and International Relations student, Chanel, commented that:

“The talk from Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is the type of lecture where you know you cannot possibly appreciate the complexity of it in the moment, but that you try to accomplish regardless, knowing that what she has said and is about to say is something that will stick with you indefinitely.” 

Chanel added:

“What stuck with me the most is how she somehow managed to stay incredibly stoic, but simultaneously very vulnerable and open in regard to her mannerisms and emotions.”

“Hearing from her, in such an incredible environment (such as the Southbank centre in collaboration with the Orwell Lecture organisation) was an amazing privilege to have, and one I might have stayed ignorant to, if it were not for the #BeyondTheClassroom initiative that Goldsmiths and the Faculty of Law have been running.”

Mariana, an MA student in the Sociology department, noted:

“After the lecture, someone from the audience asked Nazanin what students and young people could’ve done or can do to help with her case. Nazanin’s answer was simple and humane: she highlighted the importance of reminding people in prison that they have not been forgotten. She also talked about her time in isolation and how isolation is designed to break you as a human being, to make you think that you’re on your own. 

Nazanin’s answer really moved me. It reminded me that, although technical law analyses are important, us, as Law students, must always bring the humane answer to the table and trust in the power of collectivity. We must find creative ways to use our own privileges to demand protection of human rights, particularly the rights of people who have been systematically excluded and isolated. For me, the lecture of Nazanin was a reminder that we, as students, must insist on dialoguing about the injustices caused by prisons. But it was also an inspiring reminder about resilience, hope and the power of women speaking up about our own stories.” 

The Orwell Memorial Lecture is given annually in memory of the author, essayist, and journalist George Orwell and has attracted notable speakers over the years including Ian McEwan, Dame Hilary Mantel, Kamila Shamsie and Bill Browder.

The Department of Law works closely with the Orwell foundation, including in awarding the top student in the LLB Law with Politics and Human Rights the Goldsmiths Law-Orwell Award, which marks high academic achievement in law, politics and human rights.