In Solidarity with Maryam on Her Journey Toward Freedom
Maryam Akbari Monfared: A Woman Fighting for Justice and Freedom with Her Heart
Maryam Akbari Monfared, a mother of three and one of Iran’s most resilient political prisoners, has stood with unwavering courage and determination against oppression for over 15 years in the regime’s prisons.
Born on December 14, 1975, Maryam was arrested in the middle of the night on December 30, 2009, while putting her 4-year-old daughter, Sara, to sleep. Since then, she has not been granted a single day of furlough. Charged with “membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran” and “enmity against God” (moharebeh), she was sentenced to 15 years in prison—charges she has consistently denied.
A Life under the Shadow of Injustice: A Family Tragedy and the Beginning of a Struggle
Maryam Akbari Monfared witnessed the brutality of the regime from a young age. As the youngest member of her family, she lost four loved ones in the 1980s. Her brother Alireza was martyred under torture in 1981, Gholamreza was executed in 1985, and Roghieh and Abdolreza, both members of the People’s Mojahedin, were hanged during the 1988 massacre. Roghieh, a mother to a young daughter, was sent to the gallows in the summer of 1988. These tragedies, compounded by the loss of her mother, who died of grief at age 40, strengthened Maryam’s resolve to seek justice—her only “crime.”
In a letter from prison, she wrote:
“Our wounds are still fresh. Not three decades, not even three days have passed for us! It feels as if it happened today. The pain of August 1988 still burns our hearts, and all these years, we have clenched our teeth in agony. But the day of victory for our quest for justice will be a balm for all our wounds…”
A Cry from Within the Prison: Breaking the Silence
Maryam Akbari Monfared’s letters and writings are among the most valuable sources for understanding the injustices inflicted on families seeking accountability. With poetic and anguished prose, she narrates the systemic violence that has marked Iran’s contemporary history.
In 2016, following the release of Ayatollah Montazeri’s audio recording about the 1988 massacre, Maryam courageously filed a complaint with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, demanding accountability from the Iranian regime. This unprecedented act led the UN to officially recognize two of her family members as victims of enforced disappearance.
Addressing Hossein Mousavi Tabrizi, the regime’s prosecutor in the 1980s, who claimed, “Families could have filed complaints, but they didn’t,” she wrote:
“Perhaps you’ve forgotten. Let me remind you that families weren’t even allowed to hold memorial ceremonies. At those private gatherings for mourning, you arrested them along with their guests and sent them to prison. You didn’t return the bodies of their loved ones, didn’t tell them where they were buried, and didn’t even provide a single clue! And now, three decades after your massacre, you speak of complaints? Now that I have filed a complaint after three decades, what have you done to me? Nothing but threats, exile, and continued unlawful imprisonment.”
The Regime’s Response: Revenge, False Charges, Exile, and Solitary Confinement
Fearing Maryam’s influence on other prisoners, the regime abruptly transferred her from the women’s ward of Evin Prison to Semnan Prison on March 9, 2021. This exile violated the principle of separating prisoners by crime, placing Maryam among ordinary inmates. In Semnan, she was denied free visitation and phone calls with her family, with every contact monitored by security agents. Yet Maryam maintained her spirit and continued her resistance. In a letter from Semnan, she wrote:
“For 13 years, I’ve seen dozens of children and hundreds of teenagers and youths the age of my daughters. I’ve run my hands over their faces, spoken with them, and clenched my teeth in rage at their voicelessness and loneliness. I’ve roared against anyone aligned with the forces of darkness to defend them!”
Resistance in Prison: A Rainbow of Hope for Others
Over her 15 years of imprisonment, Maryam Akbari Monfared has become a symbol of resistance and hope. In Evin Prison, despite harsh conditions and psychological pressures, she remained unyielding. Atena Farghadani, a former political prisoner, described her:
“Whenever I was sad, Maryam would come to me and say, ‘Don’t let your sorrow be captured by the prison cameras; smile.’ When snow or rain fell, she would run with joy in the confined courtyard of Evin Prison, smiling. A woman whose resistance was a rainbow of hope for all prisoners…”
In a letter from Evin, she wrote:
“We sense the scent of spring in Evin, and we are certain that this beautiful spring will one day blossom and envelop our entire homeland. The spring of freedom is on its way… It will come, passing through barbed wires and landing in our homeland.”
Physical Suffering and Denial of Medical Care
Due to 15 years of imprisonment, Maryam suffers from multiple ailments: thyroid dysfunction, rheumatoid arthritis, and liver disease. However, by order of the Ministry of Intelligence, she has been denied access to specialist doctors and even proper nutrition for her liver condition. Her health has severely deteriorated due to lack of treatment and inadequate diet, leaving her grappling with numerous secondary pains.
New Pressures: From Exile to Qarchak to Unjust Convictions
After completing her 15-year sentence on October 12, 2024, Maryam was not released. Instead, in an inhumane act, she was transferred to the notorious Qarchak Prison in Varamin. This transfer is part of the regime’s efforts to intensify her persecution. According to the regime’s own laws, Maryam should have been released in 2019 after serving two-thirds of her sentence, but through fabricated cases, she remains imprisoned.
In 2023, the Ministry of Intelligence opened two new cases against her, charging her with baseless accusations such as “propaganda against the system,” “insulting the leadership,” “spreading falsehoods,” “inciting public unrest,” and “provoking people against national security.” She was sentenced to an additional three years of imprisonment, including two years of enforceable imprisonment and a fine of 150 million rials.
Separation from Her Children: A Pain Deeper Than Prison
Maryam Akbari Monfared, a mother of three daughters, has been separated from her children for 15 years. In a letter from prison, she wrote about this separation:
“Though every fiber of my being yearns to be with my children, I have no regrets—rather, I am more determined to continue my path. I’ve said this in every interrogation and hearing, official or unofficial, and I take pride in repeating it! … Justice is greater than a mother’s love. Because I love my children, I have risen for justice.”
This separation is a profound pain for Maryam, yet she has never surrendered, drawing inspiration from her children. In a letter to protesting youth, she wrote:
“To my daughters and sons who risk their lives on the streets, whose presence I long for every moment, I say: If you are arrested, do not trust the interrogators for a second. They are not like us! The enemy is always the enemy! Strengthen your faith in your cause. In solitary confinement, this is your only anchor.”
The Secret of Her Resilience: The Flame of Faith and Sacred Rage
In her letters, Maryam Akbari Monfared reveals the secret of her endurance:
“If you ask how I survived the darkness of torture and the grueling passage of time, I say it was the defiant flame of faith in my heart that kept me standing. This warm, rebellious flame is what interrogators try to steal from a prisoner from the moment of arrest, to freeze their spirit and force them to submit to oppression. But with sacred rage from the tortures I witnessed and endured, I kept that flame alive! I laughed and spread laughter so that I could stand, so that we could stand. Because resistance is our heart—faith in the innocence and martyrdom of my sister and brothers, whom I never considered dead. They were and are the most alive to me. In every moment of my imprisonment, they held my hand… and now I find them in the streets of Iran. I saw Alireza in the clenched fists of that young man in Naziabad. Roghieh stands with a proud chest at the front line against the suppressive Guards, and I heard Abdolreza’s voice in the continuous cry for freedom from his peers.”
A Message to the World: Seeking Justice
In a letter to international human rights bodies, Maryam wrote:
“We have risen for justice so that no family suffers loss again. The massacre continues. Executions and the killing of innocent people are an extension of that massacre, and the events of 2009, 2017, and 2019 are a continuation of 1988. Striving for accountability for the 1988 massacre is the very fight for freedom.”
International Support: Maryam’s Voice Echoes Globally
Maryam’s experience is a clear and documented human rights case, reflecting the regime’s systematic policy of suppression, vengeance, and injustice in Iran.
In 2021, Amnesty International issued a statement expressing concern over the inhumane conditions in Semnan Prison and the mistreatment of Maryam for her pursuit of justice.
The U.S. State Department’s 2022 annual report highlighted her 12-year imprisonment for seeking accountability.
Professor Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur, in his July 2024 report, cited the regime’s treatment of Maryam as an example of suppressing those seeking answers for the crimes of the 1980s, labeling the 1988 executions a “crime against humanity.”
In December 2024, the French newspaper Le Monde published a statement by prominent global intellectuals calling for Maryam’s release. Signatories, including Elisabeth Badinter and Ingrid Betancourt, described her suppression as a symbol of systematic human rights violations in Iran.
Additionally, in November 2024, the municipality of Villejuif, France, honored Maryam’s courage by displaying her poster on its building, stating: “Maryam Akbari Monfared, after 15 years in prison, continues to suffer because she stands for justice for her executed loved ones.”
A Call for Urgent Action
Maryam Akbari Monfared, a woman who has endured 15 years in prison without a single day of furlough, bearing the pain of losing loved ones, torture, untreated illnesses, solitary confinement, and exile, has never wavered in her pursuit of justice. She tells the world’s awakened consciences:
“This is about 13 years of relentless struggle, but in short, I say: One day, I will stand atop the mountain like the sun and sing the anthem of victory. Tomorrow belongs to us. The dawn of justice will break through dark, stormy clouds, and on that day, we will feel love with all our hearts.”
Maryam Akbari Monfared, a brave woman who has stood like a mountain against all hardships, deserves freedom and justice. Her voice must be heard, and her fight for accountability and freedom must triumph. Now is the time for action!
