Imam Ali Popular Student Relief Society

The Imam Ali Popular Student Relief Society (IAPSRS) is a non- governmental organisation and one of the best known and most effective charities in Iran. Established in 1999 by Sharmin Meymaninejad, it is run entirely by a network of volunteers, currently numbering 10,000 people. IAPSRS works on a wide range of issues, including poverty, education, healthcare and employment. One of the most crucial areas of their work is supporting youth affected by crime, especially those sentenced to death, who were under 18 at the time of the alleged crime. The organisation has managed to save over 50 teenagers from execution through mediation with the victims’ families. Sharmin Maymandinejad as well as IAPSRS’ compliance officer, Katayoun Afrazeh and head of public relations, Morteza Keymanesh were arrested on 21 June 2020. On 17 August 2020, the Ministry of Interior set a 20-day deadline for the NGO to change its structure. Following the expiration of the deadline, Zahra Rahimi, the organisation’s managing director and Sharmin’s wife, was arrested on 6 September and released the next day. 

While all members were released on bail by the end of 2020, in a statement issued on 21 February 2021, IAPSRS announced that the Ministry of Interior had given the NGO until 12 March to dissolve the organisation. A Ministry of the Interior motion for the dissolution of the IAPSRS was granted by Branch 55 of Shahid Beheshti Judicial Complex in Tehran on 3 March. Another case was opened against them by Branch Two of the 33rd District Court of Tehran. On 6 June 2022, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision for the dissolution of the IASPR, ending its 25-year service to the most vulnerable and marginalised communities.