Statements of more than 60 current and former political prisoners and women activists in support of Maryam Akbari Monfared in her 15th year of imprisonment which has been increased to 18 years
More than 60 current and former political prisoners and women activists signed a statement in support of Maryam Akbari Monfared, stressing that this political prisoner has been imprisoned for 5107 days without the right to leave. In parts of their statement, they wrote:
She is one of the longest-held female political prisoners in Iran. She is the youngest surviving member of a family that has witnessed the imprisonment, torture, and execution of her family members since childhood.
One sister and three of her brothers were killed under torture or executed without being sentenced to death. She has also witnessed the imprisonment and death of her bereaved mother. Throughout these years, she has consistently faced myriad pressures and restrictions, including being denied even a single day off.
Some of us, the signatories of this letter, have been by her side for years or months, and yet, we have only witnessed a fraction of the suffering and oppression endured by Maryam and her family over decades. Maryam, a mother of three children, has been deprived of living with them for many years. Nevertheless, she remains resolute, refusing to yield to the corrosive effects of imprisonment….
We, her former cellmates, encompassing a range of opinions and beliefs, recall the arrival of spring in prison alongside Maryam and her fervor for Nowruz (Iranian New Year). Yet another Nowruz approaches, and she remains incarcerated. We recollect her profound understanding of freedom and her inherent right to embrace it. We also reflect on the oppression endured by the women of our nation and the leaders of the fight and resistance against it.
As her former inmates and women’s activists, undersigned in this letter, we demand the unconditional release of Maryam Akbari Monfared and all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.
Sarvnaz Chitsaz, Chair of the NCRI Women’s Committee, IWD2024
As we commemorate International Women’s Day, it is crucial to remember that Iranian women political prisoners who persist in their struggle against the regime’s torture and imprisonment.
I wish to highlight the case of Maryam Akbari Monfared, one of the longest held female political prisoners. At the end of her 15-year sentence, she was again sentenced to three more years in prison.
Her main offense is that she is seeking justice for her martyred sister and three brothers. Two of her brothers were killed in the early 1980s, and a sister and a brother were killed during the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran. Mrs. Akbari has endured over 15 years in various prisons without a single day off for medical treatment.
We salute her and all women political prisoners.
