The opening of a new case against Maryam Akbari Monfared, who has been in prison without furlough for 14 years, has been protested by current and former women political prisoners. These women consider the new case as “revenge of the judiciary because she was seeking justice.”
Forty-four current and former women political prisoners have protested in a letter the “fabricated charges” against Maryam Akbari Monfared and the opening of a new case against her by the judiciary.
The letter refers to Maryam Akbari Monfared’s 14 years of imprisonment without even a day of furlough and her exile to Semnan Prison in central Iran.
She has been in prison since 2009 and was held in Evin, Gohardasht, and Qarchak prisons before being exiled to Semnan in February 2022.
The authors of the letter have written: “We are witness to Maryam’s struggle and resistance, witness to her passion and concern for the people’s suffering.”
One sister and three brothers of Maryam Monfared were executed in the 1980s on charges of supporting the People’s Mojahedin organization of Iran (PMOI), and she is part of a large family of plaintiffs and advocates who demand clarification of the reasons for the executions and the burial sites of political prisoners executed by Iran’s regime.
The authors of the letter stated: “We know that the new case is not only against Maryam but is a plan for the judiciary’s revenge against her complaint.” They have considered this fabrication of charges as “torture of Maryam and her family.”
The letter concludes: “The sound of those who seek justice is not only heard from Maryam’s throat but also from all over Iran.”
Maryam Akbari Monfared was arrested during the Ashura protests in 2009 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. During this time, she has not been granted a furlough.
While her imprisonment is nearing its end, on July 1, 2023, she was transferred from Semnan to Evin Court and was informed of five new charges. She was then returned to Semnan.
The charges include “propaganda against the Iranian regime, assembly and collusion against national security, spreading lies, insulting the leader, and inciting people to disrupt public order.” These charges are based on letters, statements, and reports published in the media and social networks. After serving five new charges, she was returned to Semnan Prison. The goal is to prevent her release after completing her sentence.
Two brothers and one sister of Maryam Akbari Monfared’s were executed in the 1980s, and one brother were executed during the mass executions of political prisoners in the summer of 1988.
Her husband says that their repeated requests for medical furlough have remained unanswered, despite heavy bail payments, and they have been told that the Ministry of Intelligence and the prosecutor’s office are against granting furlough.
