A collective of intellectuals, human rights defenders, and women’s rights activists, including notable figures like Elisabeth Badinter, Ingrid Betancourt, and Laurence Tubiana, call for the immediate release of Maryam Akbari Monfared, Iran's longest serving female political prisoner, Maryam Akbari Monfared, French Le Monde reports on Sunday, 24 November.
Maryam was recently transferred to Qarchak Prison, infamous for its dire conditions, according to reports from Iran, further intensifying global concern over her plight.
Maryam Akbari Monfared, a mother of three, has spent 15 years in some of Iran’s harshest prisons after being convicted in 2009 on charges of moharebeh—"enmity against God"—following a summary trial that lasted just 15 minutes. Her "crime" was familial ties to regime opponents and demanding justice for her executed siblings. She had her sentence extended for another two years, as AWYAF reported on 14 October.
Despite serving her initial 10-year sentence in 2019, she remains imprisoned due to additional charges of “insulting the Supreme Leader” after she filed a complaint in 2016 seeking justice for her executed siblings, victims of the regime’s mass executions of political prisoners in the 1980s and the 1988 massacre.
Her transfer to Qarchak Prison on 22 October 2024, notorious for abuse and neglect, underscores the severity of her ordeal. The prison is widely regarded as one of the most inhumane detention centres for women in Iran.
Maryam’s case has drawn international outrage. A UN report by Professor Javaid Rehman in July 2024 referred to the 1988 executions of 30,000 political prisoners—a massacre that claimed the lives of Maryam's siblings—as genocide and crimes against humanity, urging an independent international investigation.
The signatories of the recent appeal demand immediate action from France and European states, emphasising that Maryam’s fight for justice has turned her into a symbol of resilience and courage. Their message is clear: “Justice for Maryam Akbari Monfared and all prisoners of conscience in Iran cannot wait.”
