One of Iran’s longest-serving female political prisoners, she did not have a single day of furlough during all those years
Maryam Akbari Monfared was released on April 8, 2026, from Qarchak Prison after enduring nearly 17 years of imprisonment without a single day of leave.
Her release, as one of Iran’s longest-serving female political prisoners, marks a moment of hope for freedom-loving people who have campaigned for her over the years. Despite suffering from multiple illnesses and severe physical conditions, she was never granted permission for medical treatment outside the prison by the authorities of the clerical regime.
Background and Arrest
Born on December 14, 1975, Maryam Akbari Monfared is the mother of three daughters. She was arrested following the 2009 uprising in Iran. On December 29, 2009, she was taken to Evin Prison “to provide some explanations,” without being able to say goodbye to her daughters and never returned home.
In June 2010, the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced her to 15 years in prison on the alleged charge of “membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran,” a charge she has consistently denied.
Family Repression
Maryam’s family has long been a target of state repression. Two of her brothers were executed in 1981 and 1984, and her younger brother and sister were executed during the 1988 massacre. Her sister, Roghiyeh Akbari Monfared, had a young daughter when she was executed among the prisoners massacred in the summer of 1988.
A Rainbow of Hope in Prison
During her imprisonment, Maryam Akbari Monfared inspired fellow detainees with her resilience and compassion. One of her cellmates, former political prisoner Atena Farghadani, described her as a woman whose strength was a rainbow of hope for all prisoners. To prevent her influence on other political detainees, prison authorities separated her from fellow prisoners and banished her to Semnan Prison on March 9, 2021.
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.
Steadfast Despite Multiple Illnesses
Maryam suffered from hypothyroidism, liver problems, chronic back and knee pain, numbness in her legs, and impaired knee function—conditions recognized by doctors as warning signs of nerve and spinal damage. Five specialist physicians, including a neurosurgeon, an orthopedic surgeon, and forensic medical doctors, unanimously emphasized the urgent need for surgical intervention, warning that any delay could result in severe nerve damage, loss of mobility, and urinary incontinence.
