At midnight on December 29, Maryam Akbari Monfared completed her sixteenth year in prison, at a time when the streets of Tehran and cities across Iran are alive with anti-government protests.
Born on December 14, 1975, Maryam Akbari Monfared is the mother of three daughters. She is one of the most resistant female political prisoners who has chosen to live free without bowing down to the mullahs.
At midnight of December 29, 2009, she was taken to Evin prison “to provide some explanations,” without being able to say goodbye to her daughters. But she never returned home.
She was incarcerated because she sought justice for four of her siblings executed in cold blood by the clerical regime in the 1980s. Her sister, Roghiyeh Akbari Monfared, had a little daughter when she was sent to the gallows among the prisoners massacred in the summer of 1988.
A Rainbow of Hope
Throughout the years she spent behind bars, Maryam has always inspired other prisoners. Her heart is as big as an ocean filled with feelings for everyone around her. One of her cellmates, political prisoner Atena Farghadani, describes her as “a woman whose resistance was a rainbow of hope for all the prisoners.”
So, prison authorities have separated her from other political prisoners to prevent her from inspiring others. On March 9, 2021, they abruptly took her away to the Prison of Semnan and abandoned her among ordinary prisoners in violation of the principle of separation of crimes, where she was deprived of visitations and of making ordinary phone calls to her family.
Maryam Akbari Monfared finished her 15 years of imprisonment without a single day of furlough on October 12, 2024. However, the authorities, who had fabricated new charges against her, extended her imprisonment for another two years.
On October 22, 2024, they sent her to the notorious Qarchak Prison for women in Varamin, where she was held in solitary confinement for some time.
Again, on October 9, 2025, when all female political prisoners were returned to Evin Prison, Maryam was not.
Despite Multiple Illnesses, Still Standing Strong
After 16 years of imprisonment, Maryam Akbari Monfared, who suffers from hypothyroidism, has also recently developed liver complications. She experiences chronic pain in her back and knees and has faced recurring episodes of numbness in her legs and sudden knee dysfunction. According to medical experts, these are alarming symptoms of neurological and spinal damage.
Five specialists, including a neurosurgeon, an orthopedic surgeon, and forensic doctors, have unanimously emphasized the immediate need for surgery. Doctors have warned that further delays could result in severe nerve damage, loss of mobility, and urinary incontinence.
The latest news is that she was transferred several times during a week to medical facilities outside the prison to receive physiotherapy and chiropractic care. However, prison authorities conditioned the continuation of her treatment on referrals to state-run medical centers, facilities which lack the capacity to provide the specialized care she requires. Her request for access to an appropriate treatment center on her own expense has so far gone unanswered.
This comes even though the Legal Medicine Organization and the supervising judge had previously approved her transfer to specialized medical facilities. Her treating physician has also warned of serious consequences should her treatment be interrupted.
Sixteen years after her unlawful arrest, Maryam Akbari Monfared remains imprisoned not for any crime, but for demanding truth and justice for her murdered family. Despite prolonged isolation, fabricated charges, and the deliberate denial of urgent medical care, she continues to stand with unwavering resolve. Her continued imprisonment is a stark symbol of the clerical regime’s fear of accountability and of women who refuse to be silenced.
Maryam Akbari Monfared’s life is in danger. Immediate and unconditional release, along with full access to specialized medical care, is not only a legal obligation but a moral imperative.
