Activists Protest New Charges against Political Prisoner Jailed for 13 Years

A group of Iranian political and social activists, along with former female political prisoners, have condemned the opening of a legal case against Maryam Akbari Monfared, who has been behind bars for 13 years for protesting the killing of her four siblings by the Islamic Republic in the 1980s.

The statement says the judicial system has filed six new charges against Akbari Monfared, as the end of her prison-term approaches.

It emphasizes that the activist has been unjustly imprisoned for all these years and should be unconditionally released.

"Despite the pain of separation from her family, she has steadfastly worked to uplift the spirits of her fellow incarcerated women, leaving behind a memory filled with passion, determination, faith and life for all those who have been imprisoned alongside her in recent years," the text also reads. 

The statement was authored by prominent figures such as Jila Baniyaqoub, Hassan Yousefi, Abdullah Naseri, Shiva Nazarahari, Ghoncheh Qavami and Mahdieh Golroo.

Akbari Monfared was arrested in December 2009 and forcibly disappeared for months.

She was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2010 on the charge of acting against national security for allegedly being a supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK).

According to her husband, Hassan Jafari, her sole contact with the opposition group was "a few phone calls to her siblings in Camp Ashraf in Iraq," which housed Iranian exiles.

Three of her brothers and one sister lost their lives during the mass killing of political prisoners in the 1980s.

Akbari Monfared has been in prison since her arrest without being granted any leave. 

The activist, who has one daughter, is serving her sentence in Semnan prison.

Earlier this month, a joint letter signed by 44 civil activists, including current and former prisoners, condemned the opening of a new case against Akbari Monfared, saying it aimed at torturing her and her family.

"Endless imprisonment cannot deter their quest for justice," they said.