If you plan to attend this event you must RSVP to Aileen.Boniface@mail.house.gov by 3:30 p.m. To ensure ease of access, enter through the south (House side) entrance to the Capitol Building.

Commission to Host Special Screening: “The Stoning of Soraya M.”

WASHINGTON—Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Co-Chairman Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), announced today the U.S. Helsinki Commission will present a sneak preview of:

“The Stoning of Soraya M.”

Wednesday, June 17th

Capitol Visitors Center, Room HVC-215

Enter via the south (House side) entrance to the Capitol Building.

4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

This is a special screening of the award-winning film “The Stoning of Soraya M,” which opens in theaters later this month. Featured in today’s Washington Post (link), this gripping and graphic film is based on a true story and exposes the fury unleashed by mob rule and corrupt community leaders in a village where fear prevails and the legal system is stacked against Soraya M., simply because she is a woman.

Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo, who stars in the heroic role of Soraya’s aunt Zahra, will join Director Cyrus Nowrasteh in introducing the film. Alyse Nelson of Vital Voices Global Partnership will provide some context regarding the practice of stoning that continues today in some parts of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

A trailer of the movie can be viewed at http://www.thestoning.com. Please be advised that this film is rated R for a disturbing sequence of cruel and brutal violence, and brief strong language.