14th Oct 2024 - Iran's longest serving female political prisoner, Maryam Akbari Monfared, has had her prison sentence extended once again, after 15 years imprisonment.
Background: Maryam Akbari Monfared was born on December 14, 1975, and is the mother of three daughters. She is one of the most resistant female political prisoners who has chosen to live without bowing down to the mullahs. She was taken to Evin prison “to provide some explanations” at midnight of December 29, 2009, without being able to say goodbye to her daughters. But she never returned home. She was incarcerated because she sought justice for four of her siblings executed in cold blood by the clerical regime in the 1980s. Her sister, Roghiyeh Akbari Monfared, had a little daughter when she was sent to the gallows among the prisoners massacred in the summer of 1988.
In 2009, she was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment which meant she would have been released in 2019. However, when her sentence came to an end, the regime fabricated further charges against her in order to extend her sentence further. During this time, she would suddenly be transferred to other prisons at a moment's notice. In july 2024, the regime’s judiciary issued an order to confiscate the properties of Maryam Akbari and her relatives due to her seeking justice for her three brothers and one sister who were executed. Maryam Akbari has never had even a single day of medical leave or furlough and has been denied all visitation rights. Her charges include: "propaganda against the regime", "insulting the leader (Khamenei)", "assembly and collusion", and "inciting people against national security."
Her case has been one of prominence in the Justice-seeking Campaign. Prof. Javaid Rehman, the Former UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, wrote about Maryam Akbari in his report on “Atrocity Crimes” in Iran published last July:
” One poignant example illustrating this pattern of harassment and persecution is the case of Maryam Akbari-Monfared, a political prisoner in the country. Ms. Akbari-Monfared displayed immense courage by filing an official complaint from inside prison on 15 October 2016, addressing the Iranian judiciary regarding the execution of her siblings during the 1988 massacre. “In response to her pursuit of accountability, she has faced increased pressure while incarcerated, including the denial of visitations and her forced exile to a remote location, far from her children… Despite enduring a 15-year sentence without a single day of furlough, … she was summoned to the Courthouse of Evin Prison and arraigned on five new charges, subsequently receiving an additional two-year sentence… her continued detention is aimed at coercing her into renouncing her pursuit of accountability.”
