Thursday, May 22, 2025
  • English
  • Français
  • فارسی
  • عربى
PODCASTS
NCRI Women Committee Women Resistance Freedom
  • Home
  • NEWS
    • Women’s News
    • Articles
    • Statements
  • PUBLICATIONS
    • Monthlies
    • Documents
    • Reference Library
  • ABOUT US
    • The NCRI Women’s Committee
    • Gender Equality
    • Women’s Platform
  • MARYAM RAJAVI
    • Maryam Rajavi
    • Maryam Rajavi Speeches
    • The Plan on Women’s Rights and Freedoms
    • Ten-Point Plan for the future of Iran
  • VANGUARDS
    • The Fallen for Freedom
    • Heroines in Chain
    • Women of Iranian Resistance
    • Famous Women
    • Women in History
  • EVENTS
    • IWD Conferences
    • Activities
    • IWD Speeches
    • Solidarity
  • VIDEOS
  • PODCAST
  • DONATE
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
NCRI Women Committee Women Resistance Freedom
  • Home
  • NEWS
    • Women’s News
    • Articles
    • Statements
  • PUBLICATIONS
    • Monthlies
    • Documents
    • Reference Library
  • ABOUT US
    • The NCRI Women’s Committee
    • Gender Equality
    • Women’s Platform
  • MARYAM RAJAVI
    • Maryam Rajavi
    • Maryam Rajavi Speeches
    • The Plan on Women’s Rights and Freedoms
    • Ten-Point Plan for the future of Iran
  • VANGUARDS
    • The Fallen for Freedom
    • Heroines in Chain
    • Women of Iranian Resistance
    • Famous Women
    • Women in History
  • EVENTS
    • IWD Conferences
    • Activities
    • IWD Speeches
    • Solidarity
  • VIDEOS
  • PODCAST
  • DONATE
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
NCRI Women Committee
No Result
View All Result
Home Articles
Maryam Akbari, stronger than ever, vows to fight for what’s right

Maryam Akbari, stronger than ever, vows to fight for what’s right

February 20, 2019
in Articles
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

On the tenth year of her imprisonment, political prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared[1] sent out a letter from the women’s ward of Evin Prison, in which she recounted her own and her family’s sufferings in these years, vowing to remain steadfast.

Following are excerpts from her letter:

In the middle of the night of December 30, 2009, in a cold and rainy night, I was separated from my children ostensibly to be taken to the Follow-up Office of the Ministry of Intelligence for some briefing and to be returned at noon on December 31… Since my husband was not home, I asked them to let me go to the Follow-up Office early in the morning after sending my children to school, but they did not agree.

These years saw many ups and downs.

I was exiled to Gohardasht and Qarchak prisons. My beautiful daughters grew up, but nobody knows how things went by. Just as nobody knows how things went by for our bereaved fathers and mothers in anticipation for their children. Many parents received bloody bags on visiting days instead of seeing their loved ones. Many parents received a fifty toman bill for a dower instead of seeing their daughters. All these years have passed with all their hardships.

I spent time in cells where my sister and brothers lingered years ago. We used to look for any indication of our loved ones in Khavaran. Now, I feel closer to them. I feel their presence, here. I find their indications here, carved on every door and wall.

This atrocious regime has always persecuted us. I lost my mother when I was only a child. My father passed away while waiting for my siblings. But we always knew one thing: that the reformists, the fundamentalists and the moderates were all complicit in taking the lives of our loved ones. The fundamentalists held up a sword, and the reformists wore masks. And sometimes, they were even closer to what one could believe. Deceptively, they sat at our tables inside the prison walls, infiltrating our privacy with the face of a friend. Under the pretext of sympathy, they lashed us so harshly that the wounds cannot be healed unless and until the time their bloody crimes are revealed…

We were charged with defending our people. For this, we had to be sent to exile, tortured and executed. We had to be incarcerated for years in dungeons because we spoke of the things that no one had ever spoken of, because we spoke of equality, fraternity and justice.

The years passed with all their ups and downs. Now, I stand stronger than ever facing the rest of my sentence. I believe that there are enlightened people who struggle to defend what’s right. I joined them, so that with my other dear compatriots, we can be the voice of the voiceless in our wounded society.

On the eve of the tenth year of my imprisonment, I salute each and every freedom fighter who has emerged stronger through years of incarceration, deprivation and pain. They are happy that they are more aware and they have learned more about our oppressed society.

[1] Maryam Akbari Monfared was arrested at her home at midnight on December 30, 2009, and was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment on June 1, 2010, on charges of Moharebeh (waging war on God) through supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.

In all these years, she has been deprived of the right to leave and she has been denied medical care and treatment while suffering from various illnesses, including thyroid malfunction and joint rheumatoid arthritis.

After filing a complaint against the Iranian regime on October 17, 2016, on the execution of her siblings in 1988, Maryam Akbari Monfared was denied medical treatment by the Tehran Prosecutor in a reprisal. She was also threatened to receive an additional 3 years sentence and be exiled to Sistan and Baluchestan Prison.

Two of Maryam Akbari Monfared’s brothers were executed on the orders of the revolutionary courts in 1981 and 1984 for “association and membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.”

Her sister and younger brother were also executed in the summer of 1988, in the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners.

In 2013, the Revolutionary Court received 1.15 billion tomans in bail to grant her a temporary leave but in the final moments when her children were awaiting her arrival, they were told that the leave had been canceled and the Minister of Intelligence sent a note that she cannot have a leave.

Share28TweetPinShareSendShare

Related Posts

Female Prisoners in Iran Compelled to Do Forced Labor

May 21, 2025
Female prisoners in Iran compelled to do forced labor

In this podcast, we shed light on the consistent and alarming pattern of forced labor and systemic abuse targeting female prisoners across multiple facilities in Iran, including Vakilabad...

Read moreDetails

Anne Jemima Clough: Pioneer of Women’s Higher Education in Britain

May 21, 2025
Anne Jemima Clough: Pioneer of Women's Higher Education in Britain

Anne Jemima Clough (20 January 1820 – 27 February 1892) was a trailblazing British educator and reformer who played a crucial role in transforming women’s access to higher education...

Read moreDetails

Elena Arizmendi Mejía: Trailblazing Latina Heroine of Humanitarian Aid and Gender Equality

May 21, 2025
Elena Arizmendi Mejía: Trailblazing Latina Heroine of Humanitarian Aid and Gender Equality

Elena Arizmendi Mejía (18 January 1884 – 4 November 1949) stands as a groundbreaking figure in the history of Latin American feminism and humanitarian work. A visionary nurse,...

Read moreDetails

Hoda Mehreganfar: Continued Detention and Deteriorating Health in Adelabad Prison

May 21, 2025
Hoda Mehreganfar: Continued Detention and Deteriorating Health in Adelabad Prison

Over 210 days have passed since the arrest of Hoda Mehreganfar and her father. The two political prisoners remain indefinite detention at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz without access...

Read moreDetails

Female Political Prisoners in Evin Chant Against the Death Penalty

May 20, 2025
Female Political Prisoners in Evin Chant Against the Death Penalty

Female political prisoners in the women's ward of Tehran's Evin Prison joined the nationwide campaign "No to Executions Tuesdays," again, on May 20, 2025, raising their voices in...

Read moreDetails
Next Post
Mahin Akbari, former political prisoner, jailed in Lakan Prison, Rasht

Mahin Akbari, former political prisoner, jailed in Lakan Prison, Rasht

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Documents

Hidden Sufferings and Modern Slavery: A Look at the Situation of Female Workers in Iran

Hidden Sufferings and Modern Slavery: A Look at the Situation of Female Workers in Iran

April 28, 2025

Marking the International Labor Day 2025 Female workers in Iran, with calloused hands and exhausted bodies, carry the burden of...

Iranian Women's Struggle: A Global Call for Solidarity

Iranian Women’s Struggle: 651 Prominent Women Call for Solidarity

April 12, 2025

In a powerful statement of unity, 651 prominent women leaders, including former heads of state, ministers, jurists, and human rights...

CSW69, Beijing+30 - NCRI Women’s Committee Report

CSW69, Beijing+30 – NCRI Women’s Committee Report

March 5, 2025

On the eve of International Women’s Day, the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) publishes...

Monthlies

April 2025 Report: The Horrific Record of Executing Women
Monthlies

April 2025 Report: The Horrific Record of Executing Women

April 30, 2025
March 2025 Report: The Economic Situation of Women in Iran
Monthlies

March 2025 Report: The Economic Situation of Women in Iran

March 31, 2025
Women at the Forefront of Widespread Protests in Iran
Monthlies

January 2025 Report: Women at the Forefront of Protests in Iran

February 3, 2025
December 2024 Report: Shocking Statistics on Women's Execution in Iran
Monthlies

December 2024 Report: Shocking Statistics on Women’s Execution in Iran

December 31, 2024

Articles

Forced Labor and Systemic Abuse of Female Prisoners in Iran

Forced Labor and Systemic Abuse of Female Prisoners in Iran

May 19, 2025

In the prisons operated by Iran's theocratic regime, female inmates are subjected to forced labor, extended working hours without fair...

A glance at the conditions of women in Iranian prisons women's ward of Sepidar Prison

Women’s Ward of Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz: A Symbol of Systematic Human Rights Violations

May 15, 2025

A Harrowing Report on the Inhumane Conditions in the Women’s Ward The Women’s Ward of Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz has...

International Nurses Day 2025: A Spotlight on the Crisis Facing Nurses in Iran

International Nurses Day 2025: A Spotlight on the Crisis Facing Nurses in Iran

May 11, 2025

International Nurses Day 2025: A Spotlight on the Crisis Facing Nurses in Iran Every year on May 12, the world...

The Fallen for Freedom

Nosrat Ramezani
The Fallen for Freedom

Nosrat Ramezani

May 1, 2025
Sussan Mirzaei: A Trailblazer in Iran’s Struggle for Freedom and Democracy
The Fallen for Freedom

Sussan Mirzaei

May 1, 2025
The Life of Marzieh Ahmadi Oskouei
The Fallen for Freedom

The Life of Marzieh Ahmadi Oskouei

April 26, 2025
Mehrnoush Ebrahimi: The Revolutionary Who Defied Tyranny
The Fallen for Freedom

Mehrnoush Ebrahimi: The Revolutionary Who Defied Tyranny

April 19, 2025

ABOUT US

NCRI Women Committee

We work extensively with Iranian women outside the country and maintain a permanent contact with women inside Iran. The Women’s Committee is actively involved with many women’s rights organizations and NGO’s and the Iranian diaspora.
The committee is a major source of much of the information received from inside Iran with regards to women. Attending UN Human Rights Council meetings and other international or regional conferences on women’s issues and engaging in a relentless battle against the Iranian regime’s misogyny are part of the activities of members and associates of the committee.

CATEGORIES

  • Activities
  • Articles
  • Documents
  • Events
  • Famous Women
  • Heroines in Chain
  • International Solidarity
  • International Women's Day
  • IWD Conferences
  • IWD Speeches
  • Maryam Rajavi
  • Maryam Rajavi Speeches
  • Monthlies
  • NCRI Women's Committee Presentations
  • Other Activities in Iran
  • Podcast
  • Reference Library
  • Solidarity
  • Statements
  • The Fallen for Freedom
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • Violence Against Women in Iran
  • Women in History
  • Women in Iran Protests, Uprising
  • Women of Iranian Resistance
  • Women's News

BROWSE BY TAG

Child marriage coronavirus education execution forced hijab Gender Gap Generation Equality Honor killings Iran Teachers Maryam Akbari Monfared Nurses Plan on Women's Rights and Freedoms Poverty Prisoners Protests rural women Saba Kord Afshari The girl child Violence against women Women's Leadership Women Heads of Household Zeinab Jalalian

The copyright of all the material published on this website has been registered under © 2016 the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. To obtain permission to copy, redistribute or publish the material published on this website, you should write to the NCRI Women’s Committee. Please include the link of the original article on our website, women.ncr-iran.org.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Women’s News
    • Articles
    • Statements
  • Publications
    • Monthlies
    • Documents
    • Reference Library
  • About Us
    • The NCRI Women’s Committee
    • Gender Equality
    • Women’s Platform
  • Maryam Rajavi
    • Maryam Rajavi
    • Maryam Rajavi Speeches
    • Ten Point Plan for Iran
    • The Plan on Women’s Rights and Freedoms
  • Vanguards
    • The Fallen for Freedom
    • Heroines in Chain
    • Women of Iranian Resistance
    • Famous Women
    • Women in History
  • Events
    • IWD Conferences
    • Activities
    • IWD Speeches
    • Solidarity
  • Videos
  • Podcast
  • Donate
  • Contact us
  • فارسی
  • عربی
  • Français

The copyright of all the material published on this website has been registered under © 2016 the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. To obtain permission to copy, redistribute or publish the material published on this website, you should write to the NCRI Women’s Committee. Please include the link of the original article on our website, women.ncr-iran.org.