Sharmiin Meymandinejad: Repression, War, and Human Dignity in Iran

Sharmiin (also spelled Sharmin) Meymandinejad is an Iranian human rights defender, writer, and theatre artist who founded the Imam Ali’s Popular Student Relief Society (IAPSRS) in 1999 to combat poverty and support vulnerable children and families. Iranian authorities arrested him in 2020 and charged him with “insulting” Iran’s leaders amid a broader crackdown on independent civil society; he was held for months, including time in solitary confinement, and reportedly denied medical care. After sustained pressure, IAPSRS was ordered dissolved. Now in exile, Meymandinejad speaks on repression, public executions, social trust, and civilian harm from sanctions and war, through grassroots work.

In conversation with Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Sharmiin Meymandinejad describes Iran’s crisis as the repression of daily life rather than episodic protest control. She rejects state claims of “security,” arguing that fear-based governance destroys social trust and wounds society across generations. Meymandinejad warns that silence by the international community amounts to complicity. On the risk of war between Iran and the United States, she stresses that civilians—not governments—would pay the price through poverty, displacement, and institutional collapse. War, she argues, entrenches authoritarianism rather than liberating societies. Her message centers on dignity, de-escalation, and solidarity with ordinary people on all sides.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Sharmiin Meymandinejad, you have spent years working closely with marginalized communities in Iran. How do you describe the current repression of the Iranian people?

Sharmiin Meymandinejad: What we are witnessing is not merely the suppression of protests; it is the suppression of everyday life. When teachers, workers, women, students, and even children are met with fear instead of protection, this is no longer a political issue—it is a profound human rights crisis.

Jacobsen: Authorities justify these actions under the banner of “maintaining security.” How do you respond to that claim?

Meymandinejad: Security built on fear is not security. Genuine security is rooted in human dignity. When citizens are arrested, beaten, or killed for expressing pain or demanding basic rights, it reveals a state that fears its people rather than serves them.

Jacobsen: What impact has this repression had on Iranian society as a whole?

Meymandinejad: Repression destroys social trust. A society that is denied the right to speak slowly collapses from within. Violence does not only break bodies—it wounds the collective psyche of a nation, and those wounds are passed down through generations.

Jacobsen: What responsibility does the international community bear in this situation?

Meymandinejad: Silence is not neutrality; it is complicity. The people of Iran are not statistics. Every moment of inaction emboldens further repression. Genuine international responsibility means standing with the people—not bargaining over their suffering.

Jacobsen: What is your message to the people of Iran?

Meymandinejad: You are not alone, even when isolation is imposed upon you. History shows that no system sustained by repression endures forever. Human dignity cannot be crushed. The future belongs to those who continue to stand—for life, for truth, and for one another

Jacobsen: Sharmiin Meymandinejad, tensions between Iran and the United States are rising again. How serious do you believe the risk of war is?

Meymandinejad: Whenever diplomacy is sidelined and threats replace dialogue, the risk of war becomes real. But it is crucial to say this clearly: war is not the choice of the Iranian people, nor the American people. It is the outcome of political deadlocks and power calculations, and civilians always pay the price.

Jacobsen: If a war were to occur, what would be the most immediate impact on the people of Iran?

Meymandinejad: The Iranian people are already living under immense pressure. War would mean deeper poverty, the collapse of healthcare and education systems, internal displacement, and civilian casualties. For a society already wounded by sanctions and repression, war would be a multilayered humanitarian disaster.

Jacobsen: Some argue that war could weaken the ruling system in Iran. How do you respond to that view?

Meymandinejad: History shows that war rarely brings freedom. More often, it strengthens authoritarian control, legitimizes repression, and crushes civil society. Sustainable change comes from the will of the people—not from bombs or missiles.

Jacobsen: What would be the consequences of such a conflict for the region and the world?

Meymandinejad: A war between Iran and the United States would not remain contained. Regional destabilization, energy crises, new waves of refugees, and the expansion of proxy violence are likely outcomes. The world today needs de-escalation, not another devastating conflict.

Jacobsen: What role should the international community play in preventing this scenario?

Meymandinejad: The international community must distinguish clearly between governments and people. Targeted pressure, genuine support for human rights, and meaningful diplomatic channels are essential. Silence or support for war is a betrayal of peace and of civilians on both sides.

Jacobsen: Finally, what is your message to the people of Iran and the United States?

Meymandinejad: The real enemy of ordinary people is war itself, not one another. Iranians and Americans share the same hopes: safety, dignity, and a future without fear. Peace is not weakness—it is the only path that saves human lives.

Jacobsen: Thank you very much for the opportunity and your time, Sharmiin.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project, International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN 0018-7399; Online: ISSN 2163-3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations.