Shirin Ebadi's Reflection on Iran's 1979 Revolution: From Hope to Regret
In 1979, Shirin Ebadi stood among the crowds who believed Iran was on the brink of a democratic transformation. Like many who opposed the Shah, she joined protests that promised freedom, dignity, and justice for the nation.
Decades later, Ebadi, now a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and one of Iran's most prominent human rights voices in exile, speaks about that moment with profound regret. She has publicly apologized to Iranians, particularly the younger generation, for supporting a revolution that delivered the opposite of what many had anticipated.
Who is Shirin Ebadi and Why Her Words Carry Weight
Shirin Ebadi stands as one of Iran's best-known human rights lawyers and a rare figure who has maintained international recognition while openly criticizing the Islamic Republic. After winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, she became a global symbol of legal activism, renowned for defending prisoners of conscience and campaigning tirelessly for civil rights.
Her standing gives her reflections unusual credibility. She is not commenting from a distance. Ebadi lived through the Revolution, witnessed its aftermath firsthand, and spent years challenging the system it ultimately produced.
'We Made a Mistake': Ebadi's Apology to Iran's Youth
Ebadi's apology is aimed most directly at the younger generation. She has expressed this regret publicly on multiple occasions, including in a February 2020 Washington Post opinion essay where she admitted she believed the Revolution would bring freedom and later realized she was wrong.
More recently, she repeated the same message in a CNN interview with Christiane Amanpour in January 2026, stating she had apologized to Iranians, especially young people, for participating in protests against the Shah and for supporting a movement that ultimately produced a theocratic system rather than democracy.
The phrase 'lost generation' has gained significant meaning in Iran's modern history. It refers to people who grew up under strict controls, routine surveillance, political violence, and constant uncertainty, particularly affecting women. Many never had the option of choosing a different system, yet they have been forced to bear its heavy costs.
How the Revolution's Promises Collapsed into Repression
Ebadi's argument centers on how revolutions can be captured after victory. Many people in 1979 believed they were replacing authoritarian rule with democracy. Instead, political space narrowed further. Institutions were reshaped around ideological power, and dissent began to carry severe consequences.
Over time, disagreement stopped being treated as political difference. It was increasingly framed as betrayal or blasphemy, making crackdowns easier to justify. This shift did not happen overnight, but it became one of the defining features of the Islamic Republic.
The Cost Across Decades, Not Just One Moment
Ebadi's regret reflects what many Iranians describe as a lifetime of limitation. For some, the cost has been prison, torture, or exile. For others, it has been quieter but still damaging: self-censorship, fear of state scrutiny, and a sense that opportunity remains conditional.
This is why the idea of a stolen future resonates widely. It is not only about who holds power. It is about the daily impact on education, personal freedom, public expression, and the ability to imagine a different Iran without facing punishment.
Why Her Words Are Spreading Now
Ebadi's comments have gained significant traction because they mirror what is already being said in Iran's protest movements. Many demonstrators describe their struggle as a demand for life, freedom, and dignity, often led by a generation that sees the Islamic Republic as a system imposed upon them.
In that context, Ebadi's apology feels like acknowledgement from someone who once believed the Revolution's promises and later watched those promises collapse completely.
A Warning to Any Society Chasing Change
Ebadi's story also carries a broader lesson. Revolutions can unite millions, but the aftermath is shaped by who controls the new institutions. The most organized factions often dominate once the old system falls, even if they were not the ones who carried the widest hopes.
That is what gives Ebadi's regret its powerful force. It is not nostalgia. It is a stark reminder that political change without proper safeguards can produce a new form of repression instead of the promised freedom.
Regret, Resistance, and the Hope of Renewal
Ebadi's apology does not erase the past, but it reframes it significantly. It places responsibility on the generation that believed it was marching towards democracy and later saw Iran move in the opposite direction.
Her message, however, is not only about guilt. It is also about refusing to accept repression as permanent. By speaking openly, she reinforces an idea many Iranians still hold onto: that a country shaped by one turning point does not have to remain trapped there forever.
The Revolution that promised freedom ended up producing a political order defined by religious authority, tight controls, and harsh punishment for dissent. Ebadi's personal reckoning has struck a chord across the Iranian diaspora and among protesters, turning her individual reflection into a wider examination of how Iran's hopes were reshaped into decades of control and repression.
