Sharmin Meymandinejad

Sharmin Meymandinejad is a theater director, screenwriter and founder of "Jamiat Imam Ali". He was a professor at several universities in Tehran, including the University of Tehran, in the 1990s and 2000s. His father was a writer and journalist; He is the author of more than 180 literary, philosophical, political, and textbooks

Jamiat Imam Ali's Student Society was founded in 1999 by Sharmin Meymandinejad and some college students. This organization is active in the field of charity and helping people in need, especially children. This group is the most well-known independent association in the field of charitable affairs in Iran. Several members of this organization were arrested in 2020. Later, the Pro-government media outlets claimed that "these people have taken actions against the government." The media department of this organization highlighted that "Jamiat Imam Ali" has no political activity <symbol-timeline></symbol-timeline>

• <coverage-outsourcing id='31463'> <reference source='https://sosapoverty.org/news/بازداشت-موسس-دو-تن-اعضای-جمعیت-امام-علی/'> The agents of Sarollah Camp arrested several managers of "Jamiat Imam Ali" at the same time. Security forces searched Mr. Meymandi Nejad's home for four hours after his arrest. Sharmin Meymandi Nejad was taken to the Jamiat imam Ali Office and the officers searched this place too. IRGC agents seized Mr. Meymandi Nejad's personal belongings (smart devices and handwritings) and official documents of the organization. They also damaged CCTV cameras so that their behavior could not be reviewed. At the same time, Morteza Kei Manesh and his wife, Katayoun Afrazah, were arrested at their relative's home. The couple were taken to their home for inspection. Mr. Meymand Nejad has been arrested by court order. The other two detainees were shown the card, but they did not have the opportunity to see if it is the court order or not. Sharmin Meymandi Nejad is said to have been charged with "insulting the leader, and the founder of the government", and other detainees have been charged with "conspiracy against national security." </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='31466'> Evin prosecutors have told his family that they can only select the trusted lawyers of the judiciary. He is being kept in ward 2-A of Evin prison </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='31475'> Some media published the news of "sealing the office of Jamiat Imam Ali", but "Jamiat Imam Ali" denied this. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='31468'> The website of Jamiat Imam Ali published a video of the chaotic situation of its office. The video shows that the documents have been taken out of the shelves. Sharmin Meymandi's Instagram page also became unavailable shortly after his arrest. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='31470'> <reference source='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rAMA6IOsWo'> A voice attributed to Mr. Meymandi Nejad, who has been sharply criticizing the Iranian government's policies, was published in the Iranian government's media. “They (the government) want to prove that although they are responsible for killing the people, they also mourned for the killers.”, the voice in the audio file said. He called Soleiman Ghasemi as a killer in the following. In another part of this audio file, which was probably recorded in a private gathering, the speaker emphasizes that his path is different from people like Ghassem Soleimani. The man who speaks in this audio file said that we should correspond with the United Nations about the situation in Iran and the government's interference in other countries' affairs. "Jamiat Imam Ali" called this audio file "fake or fragmented and distorted." </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='31482'> <reference source='https://t.me/emtedadnet/45172'> "If the Jamiat Imam Ali organization has made a mistake, they should be punished according to Article 34 of the NGO Regulations, and this way of detention is against the laws." Leili Arshad, CEO of Khaneh Khorshid Institute, said in an interview with Emtedad. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='31478'> IRGC officers handed over the CCTV memory to the operators while its history was completely cleared. </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='31481'> <reference source='http://www.ensafnews.com/242294/'> "Detainees call their families on average every other day.," One of the public relations directors of Jamiat Imam Ali told Ensaf News. He added about the accusation of "the connection with the opposition groups" as follows: “Some groups raised this allegation, but the interrogator told family members that they had not published this charge.” The Organization may indict against the IRGC-affiliated media groups. Some members are said to have received anonymous threatening messages. "We, the members of the community, prefer to do something useful," he said at the end of the interview, citing popular support on social media. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='32161'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3hlAQZ2'> The analytical Emtedad News Agency had an interview with Jameeat-e-Imam Ali's lawyer. "The institution has been put under pressure by the Ministry of Intelligence for a long time, but the pressure has intensified since 2019", emphasized Saeed Dehghan, the organization's defense attorney. As stated by Mr. Dehghan, security pressure is forced, in one way or another, upon all CSOs and social NGOs. He continues by pointing out that the pro-government media's claims voicing "Meymandinejad's detention has not been linked to Jameeat-e-Imam Ali" are not valid."This claim is not true!” He says. “The evidence shows that these people’s detention is entirely connected with their associated institution”. Zahra Rahimi, Mr. Meymandinejad’s wife, was urged not to discuss anything related to Jameeat-e-Imam Ali during a recent meeting she was finally allowed to have with her husband, which may be a piece of evidence revealing the reason behind Mr. Meymandinejad’s detention. The defendants of this legal case have so far been denied access to a lawyer, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps insists that they must choose their lawyer from a list approved by the Judicial system of Iran. Mr. Dehghan's attempt to access the case has also been unsuccessful. "There have been many violations in the case of these people" he says."As for the lawyers," he adds, "I should say that they cannot expect Iran's largest social NGO to use the most state-affiliated lawyers." Bearing this conversation's content in mind, the organization's detainees appear to be the ones most subject to threat. Due to the existing illegalities in the security apparatus, however, other members of Jameeat-e-Imam Ali may be at risk as well. Saeed Dehghan believes "such behavior towards an independent social NGO is the starting point for suppressing similar movements." He has, therefore, expressed his concern about this issue. In the end, in response to the reporter's question about "the possibility of the existence of civil institutions in Iran", he said: > With the current situation, it is more of a fantasy. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='32160'> Zahra Rahimi Khameneh, CEO of Jameeat-e-Imam Ali and wife of the founder of this organization, was summoned to Evin Prosecutor's Office. The Ministry of Interior issued a letter to Jameeat-e-Imam Ali recently, ordering that the institution's structure must change. It should be noted that Mrs. Heidari has lately been permitted to visit her husband for the first time. Before she saw him, officers had told her, "Make sure not to talk about the institution and not to mention the release of other defendants." </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='32155'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/statements/a-522/'> Hundreds of political and social activists called, in a note, for the release of the founder of Jameeat-e-Imam Ali. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='32483'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2020/hranews/a-26500/'> Zahra Rahimi Khameneh, the CEO of Jameeat-e-Imam Ali and the wife of Sharmin Meymandinejad, was detained after appearing at the Evin Prosecutor's Office. She was released on bail two days later from Evin Prison. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='32725'> <reference source='https://iranwire.com/fa/features/41239'> He asked his wife to get him a "walker" and hand it over to the prison officers in a phone call. Mr. Meymandinejad has been suffering from physical problems, such as inability to walk and severe neck pain. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='32726'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/statements/a-530/?tg_rhash=22a41dd9689763'> 56 family members of those killed or injured during the Iran-Iraq war wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of Iran and asked for transparency in the case of Sharmin Meymandinejad. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='33014'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/rahimikhamneh/status/1314088376040075264'> Zahra Rahimi Khameneh, Sharmin Meymandinejad's wife, wrote a letter to the case interrogator reminding him that Mr. Meymandinejad had not spoken to his family on the phone for 21 days. It should be noted that so far, his family has only been allowed to visit him in prison once, and that was 60 days ago. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='33100'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2020/hranews/a-27088/'> After about four months in detention, he was transferred to the general ward of Evin Prison. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='33230'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/imamalisociety/status/1321090107143839744?s=20'> He was released on bail. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='34972'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/imamalisociety/status/1363460172497223681?s=20'> The Interior Ministry has filed a complaint and asked for the shutting down of Imam Ali Relief Society, the charity organization said in a statement. A trial is to be held on March 2. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='34978'> <reference source='https://sosapoverty.org/news/%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%85%d9%87-%d8%b3%d8%b1%da%af%d8%b4%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%d8%a8%d9%87-%d8%b1%d8%a6%db%8c%d8%b3-%d8%ac%d9%85%d9%87%d9%88%d8%b1/'> In a letter to President Hassan Rouhani, Imam Ali Relief Society asked him to personally intervene in the case against it. The charity organization asked Rouhani to help legally rehabilitate it. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='34975'> <reference source='https://www.karzar.net/imam-ali-society'> A movement started in support of Imam Ali Relief Society. A petition signed by 18,000 people addressed the president’s office and asked him to stop the organization from being shut down by the authorities. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='34982'> <reference source='https://sosapoverty.org/news/%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%af%da%af%d8%a7%d9%87-%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%b9%db%8c%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%85-%d8%b9%d9%84%db%8c/'> Following the Interior Ministry’s suit against Imam Ali Society, a pre-trial session was held at Branch 55 of Beheshti Judicial Complex with the attendance of Zahra Rahimi Khamene, the charity’s managing director; Arash Keykhosravi and Abuzar Nasrollahi, two of its lawyers; and two representatives from the Interior Ministry. The Interior Ministry’s case rests on five issues: Imam Ali Society has worked outside its mandate; the organization’s lawyers have countered this charge by asserting that it has always worked towards the eight goals stipulated in its constitution. The managing board and managing director of Imam Ali Society ignoring the decisions of the National Council for Development and Support of Organizations and refusing to reform the organization accordingly; Abuzar Nasrollahi, Imam Ali Society’s lawyer, said this was an illegal decision and spoke to Shargh Newspaper about it: “The Interior Ministry and the National Council have ratified a bill, according to which Imam Ali Society must change its organizational structure from having a Board of Trustees to one based on a General Assembly. This decision is against the law and is impossible to execute.” He added that the government had no right to interfere in the affairs of a grassroot organization. Lack of transparency in donations; Mr Nasrollahi refuted this claim and said they had provided the court with the organization’s accounts for the last few years. Decision-making and activity without license and permission; The lawyers countered that any official body which issues a license is effectively permitting all subsidiary activities. What the lawyers meant was that since Imam Ali Society had license to act as a charity, it could be active in any charity project and need not receive a separate permit for each new project. Requesting a quick trial with the aim of dissolving Imam Ali Society; According to Nasrollahi, a request for a quick dissolving of the organization needs enough evidence and also a chance of defence for the accused. None of these stages have been fulfilled yet. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='34981'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/vakilroaya/status/1367158716903141379?s=20'> The Branch 55 of Beheshti Judicial Complex ordered the shutting down of Imam Ali Society. The society’s lawyer, Saeed Dehghan, tweeted to point out the unusually fast issuing of the sentence. An eight-page sentence was issued today morning while the trial had finished yesterday at the close of business hours. Mr Dehghan said this was “putting up a show not enforcing justice” and added: “It appears that we must conclude that the sentence was imposed beforehand.” </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>