Mehdi Mahmoudian has been repeatedly imprisoned for decades for his activism against the Iranian regime.
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Iranian political and human rights activist Mehdi Mahmoudian has been in and out of his country’s prisons for decades for daring to dissent.
On February 17, he was released from his latest term. He was arrested for a cause signed by 17 political activists, artists and human rights lawyers An open letter blaming the then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei For killing thousands of anti-government protesters.
Eleven days after Mahmoudian was released from Nowshahr prison, the US and Israel launched a war against Iran. Khamenei was killed on the first day, but the conflict Widening.
Iran is retaliating against its Gulf neighbors, key US ally Azerbaijan says Iran has been hit by drones, Israel is striking Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and European nations are rushing to deploy military assets to the region.
“Unfortunately, I don’t see a bright future,” Mahmoudian said Morning Edition Hosted by Leela Fadel. “If we can’t break this cycle of violence, it will continue forever.”
Mahmoudian is the co-writer – along with director Zafar Panahi It was just an accidentA contender for Best International Film and Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars on March 15. He shared his thoughts on this uncertain chapter in Iran’s history with NPR.
The following exchange has been edited for length and clarity.
Leela Fadel: You are in Tehran right now. Can you tell me where you are?
Mehdi Mahmoudian: I am in the middle of Tehran. The rate of shelling here has decreased since last night. Right now, they are attacking the eastern side of Tehran. In the central regions, it was calm compared to yesterday.
Fadel: What is it like to live through this now?
Mahmoudian: There is nothing beautiful about war. But this war brought us some joy – the death of a man who held the Iranian people hostage for years. This is the war where we see those who were walking beside us yesterday and those who are gone today.
Fadel: I want to ask about that particular person, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran. When you heard they were killed, you blamed the supreme leader for the killing of the protestors and put yourself in jail. What went through your head?
Mahmoudian: I had two feelings about Mr. Khamenei’s death. There was a joy due to the death of a dictator. Another is my sadness at the way he died. Mr. Khamenei should not have died, he should have been tried in court, so no one else would dare to restore the tyranny. In 1953 Mr. Khamenei was killed. He installed a dictator who would control the destiny of our people for the next 25 years. And I worry that this time the United States will replace one dictator with another to rule Iran.
Fadel: You are referring to when the US intervened in the fifties. Are you worried that the US will once again install a dictator who is only US-aligned?
Mahmoudian: Yes, I am worried. America has done the same in Afghanistan recently. After 20 years of war in Afghanistan, the US left the country and its people in the hands of dictators and tyrants like Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Fadel: When you say that you have these two feelings about the assassination of the Supreme Leader, happiness because he is a dictator, he is responsible for the assassination of Iranians, the repression of Iranians. But you wanted him to face his charges. Did he hurt and kill because he had to face people? Is it about the world seeing that justice has been served here?
Mahmoudian: Here’s what’s important to me: I don’t want to repeat the past. And what is clear here is that Mr. Khamenei is the first person to be held responsible for recent crimes in Iran. We believe that whether he is dead or alive, if the structures he built are not ended or the person who replaces him is a tyrant who wants to rule alone, the result will be the same.
Fadel: What would you like to see happen in Iran at this moment?
Mahmoudian: It is our hope that the Islamic Republic will relinquish power and hand it over to the people. Those who oppose Islamic rule within the country must rise to power and decide through a referendum what kind of people we want. In this way, we can establish a democratic regime in Iran. We have fought for this for decades.
Fadel: When you think about the future now, is it possible to break that cycle? I mean, often people take revenge when they see someone who has hurt them, killed their family, tortured them. And we’ve seen that cycle in Syria, in Iraq and other places where dictatorships have been in place and then replaced. Could it be different for Iran?
Mahmoudian: Unfortunately, I don’t see a bright future. I cannot say that the people of Iran want to reach, or have already reached, a point where they seek justice instead of revenge. I want to emphasize that I am not talking about forgiveness. I am talking about justice. My point is that if we cannot break this cycle of violence, it will continue forever. In the revolution of 1979, we saw many people hanged and now many people want to take their revenge. Perhaps those who are executed today will have people who want revenge in the future. What can justly break this cycle of revenge? If we stop and dismantle the institutions that have led to the violence of the past and those who committed these crimes are punished. But legal punishments must be consistent with human rights laws.
Fadel: To clarify, when you say justice, do you want them to go to court, to be tried under international humanitarian law? And what institutions must be destroyed to stop systematic repression?
Mahmoudian: In Iran, our first step should be to distance ourselves from the Islamic Republic. What we need to see is fair trials in Iran or international organizations rather than revenge. However, I must emphasize that torturing and hurting civilians is justified within the framework of the Islamic Republic and is a clear violation of human rights that we can address after we transition from the Islamic Republic.
A broadcast version of this story was produced Lindsay Totti And Milton Guevara. Reena Advani And Olivia Hampton Edited by
