A Further Inquiry

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.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen interviews Sharmiin Meymandinejad on the moral, social, and political stakes of child poverty, civil society, and repression in Iran. Meymandinejad reflects on moving from theatre into direct service, arguing that witnessing suffering creates an ethical duty to act. He describes poverty as an assault on dignity, identity, and hope, especially for children subjected to humiliation and exclusion. The conversation examines the structural roots of deprivation, the role of independent civic organizations, and the methods authoritarian systems use to isolate dissidents, destroy trust, and suppress grassroots initiatives that reveal uncomfortable social realities and demand conscience-driven solidarity from everyone.

Sharmiin Meymandinejad on Child Poverty, Human Dignity, and Civil Society in Iran How does Sharmiin Meymandinejad explain the links between child poverty, human dignity, civil society, and authoritarian repression in Iran?

“There is a disease at work in the Western world, and I will name it, because being coy about it is its own form of cowardice. Call it wokeism, progressive orthodoxy, identitarian politics, these are surface symptoms of something deeper: the systematic demoralization of the West from within. Not by external enemies, though they have been happy to accelerate the process, but by a class of intellectuals and institutional managers who have made a religion of self-reproach and built careers on dismantling confidence in the civilization they inhabit.”
- Mathew Giagnorio

The Silence of the Free: Canada, Jimmy Lai, and the Cost of Performing Our Values Jimmy Lai is 78 years old.

Mykhailo Yurov is a Ukrainian commentator and civil society observer whose work explores questions of identity, history, and LGBT rights in contemporary Ukraine. Drawing on historical context and lived experience, he discusses the legacy of Soviet-era repression, the uneven development of legal protections for q***r communities, and the cultural dynamics shaping modern Ukrainian society. Yurov frequently addresses the intersection of wartime realities, national identity, and human rights, emphasizing how social change occurs unevenly in periods of conflict. His commentary also highlights the role of artists, activists, and public figures in expanding visibility for LGBT Ukrainians while navigating political pressures, evolving legislation, and broader regional tensions in Eastern Europe today.

In this interview, Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Mykhailo Yurov examine LGBT rights, historical memory, and wartime identity in Ukraine. They discuss international legal equality rankings, Soviet-era repression of homosexuality, and the ongoing bureaucratic barriers facing transgender Ukrainians. The conversation explores cultural figures, contemporary q***r visibility, and hate-crime reporting in Ukraine, alongside broader geopolitical tensions between Ukraine and Russia following the 2022 invasion. Yurov reflects on language politics, national identity, and the legacy of Kyivan Rus’, while Jacobsen contextualizes the discussion within international law and global datasets on equality and media freedom. Together they analyze how war, culture, and civil society shape evolving LGBT rights.

LGBT Rights in Wartime Ukraine: History, Law, and Identity — A Conversation with Mykhailo Yurov How have Soviet-era repression, contemporary wartime conditions, and evolving cultural influences shaped the visibility, legal status, and social experiences of LGBT people in modern Ukraine?