Political prisoner, Maryam Akbari Monfared, has been handed down an additional two-year jail sentence along with 150 million rials in fines by Branch 101 of the Criminal Court of Semnan.
This ruling came in absentia to charges of disseminating falsities in social media. Mrs. Akbari Monfared is no stranger to the punitive measures of the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence. Two fresh cases were brought against her recently.
The first related to allegations of spreading “propaganda against the state” during her incarceration in Evin Prison. The subsequent case, linked to her time in the Prison of Semnan, accuses her of various offenses ranging from insulting Khamenei to inciting individuals against national and external security.
Of particular note is the final case surrounding letters circulated on social media under Mrs. Akbari Monfared’s name. The Ministry of Intelligence, the complainant in this instance, has emphasized their involvement.
Maryam Akbari Monfared and the family she has missed for 13 years
In a recent twist of events on July 1, 2023, Mrs. Akbari Monfared was ushered to the Courthouse of Evin to face these charges, post which she was immediately dispatched back to the Prison of Semnan, located 216 km east of Tehran.
Although nearing the completion of her 15-year prison term, the traditional leniency of release after serving two-thirds of one’s sentence has been noticeably absent in Mrs. Akbari Monfared’s case.
But who exactly is Maryam Akbari Monfared? Born in 1975, she is a mother of three. Her life took a traumatic turn on December 30, 2009, when she was arrested in her home in the midst of tucking in her youngest daughter. Accused of being affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in June 2010, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison—a charge she denies.
Her resilience in captivity remains unparalleled. Despite battling health issues such as Thyroid malfunction, joint rheumatism, and a fatty liver, she has maintained her spirit, exuding hope and resistance. A testament to this spirit is her evocative letter from prison: “Spring will come. It will pass through the barbed wires and land in our homeland.”
Resistant political prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared and her slain sister and brothers.
However, her journey has not been without allies. Former political prisoner Atena Farghadani dubs Mrs. Akbari Monfared “a woman whose resistance was a rainbow of hope.” Maryam’s familial history is tinged with sorrow. Her siblings, Roqieh and Abdulreza Akbari Monfared, fell victim to the mass political executions during the 1980s.
To compound her struggles, in March 2021, Mrs. Akbari Monfared was transferred to the Prison of Semnan under unclear circumstances. There, she continues to endure harsh conditions without justifiable legal reasoning. The ministry’s denial of specialized medical care, despite her worsening health, underscores the grave injustices faced by political prisoners like Maryam Akbari Monfared.
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