Maryam Akbari Monfared Sentenced to Two Years in Prison on the Brink of Fourteenth Year of Imprisonment

Maryam Akbari Monfared, a political prisoner, has been sentenced to "two years of punitive imprisonment" and a "15 million Toman fine" by the Semnan Criminal Court in a new case. According to the Iran Human Rights Organization on Sunday, September 5, Branch 101 of the Semnan Criminal Court has convicted Maryam Akbari Monfared, a plaintiff from the 1980s, of "spreading falsehoods in cyberspace". Maryam Akbari Monfared, who is serving a 15-year sentence and has been exiled from Evin Prison to Semnan Prison, has been imprisoned for nearly 14 years without leave. She was transferred to Evin Prosecutor's Office on Saturday, July 1, and after being informed of five charges in two new cases, was returned to Semnan. The charges presented to Akbari Monfared at Evin Prosecutor's Office included "propaganda against the Islamic Republic, conspiracy and collusion against national security, spreading falsehoods, insulting the leader, and inciting the public to disrupt public order". An informed source told the Iran Human Rights Organization that the first case regarding the charge of "propaganda against the regime" is related to Akbari Monfared's time in Evin Prison, while the second case was formed during her time in Semnan Prison. According to the informed source, the Islamic Revolutionary Court separated the charge of "spreading falsehoods and disturbing public opinion" due to "lack of jurisdiction" and assigned it to the general court of Branch 101 of the Criminal Court. The report states that Maryam Akbari Monfared deemed the court to lack "legal legitimacy" and refused to attend the session on August 7. Therefore, the ruling was issued in absentia and "based on letters published in the name of Maryam Akbari Monfared in cyberspace". The informed source emphasized that the ruling explicitly states that "this case was fabricated by the Ministry of Intelligence". Maryam Akbari Monfared was arrested in January 2009 at her home and was sentenced to 15 years in prison by Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court on charges of "moharebeh" (waging war against God) and "acting against national security". The court declared the political prisoner's charge as "supporting the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization", but Hassan Jafari, Maryam Akbari Monfared's husband, stated that her "only connection" to this organization was "a few phone calls with her siblings in Camp Ashraf in Iraq". Three of Maryam Akbari Monfared's brothers and one sister were executed during the 1988 massacre. Previously, some international organizations had called for the immediate and unconditional release of Maryam Akbari Monfared. The U.S. State Department has also repeatedly condemned the ongoing and systematic violations of the rights of Iranian citizens by the Islamic Republic.