As one of Iran’s longest-serving female political prisoners, Maryam Akbari Monfared was legally due for release in 2019 after serving 10 years under the regime’s own rules. However, the judiciary kept her incarcerated for an extra five years, and now they have added two more years to her sentence through yet another fabricated case.
Now, after 15 years of imprisonment without a single day of furlough, she was moved from her exile in Semnan Prison to Qarchak Prison in Varamin.
Qarchak Varamin Prison, located in Varamin, south of Tehran, is notorious for its inhumane conditions, overcrowding, and severe human rights abuses. Originally a cattle slaughterhouse, it now holds far more inmates than its capacity, including political prisoners, civil rights activists, and common criminals, with no separation between them. Inmates face poor sanitation, lack of clean water, inadequate medical care, and frequent reports of physical and sexual abuse. Outbreaks of diseases such as hepatitis and COVID-19 are common, and drug addiction is widespread. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the United Nations, have condemned the prison for its violations and called for urgent reforms, but little has changed. Despite the international outcry, Qarchak remains a symbol of repression in Iran’s penal system, particularly for women and political prisoners.
