Two New Security Charges Filed Against Maryam Akbari Monfared

News sources have reported that the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has confronted Maryam Akbari Monfared, a political prisoner, with two new cases involving new charges. Maryam Akbari Monfared, who is serving a 15-year sentence and has been exiled from Evin Prison to Semnan Prison, was transferred to Evin Prosecutor's Office on Saturday, July 1, after spending 13 and a half years in prison without leave, where she was informed of five charges before being returned to Semnan. The charges against her include propaganda against the Islamic Republic, conspiracy and collusion against national security, dissemination of falsehoods, insulting the leader, and inciting the public to disrupt public order. The basis for these charges includes letters, support, and reports published about her in media and social networks. Maryam Akbari Monfared, born in 1975, is married and has three children. She was arrested on December 30, 2009, following the Ashura protests that year and was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment by Abolqasem Salavati in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran. This political prisoner has been accused of 'supporting the People's Mojahedin Organization.' However, according to her husband, Hassan Jafari, she is 'a housewife and mother of three daughters' and her only connection to this organization has been 'a few phone calls with her siblings in Camp Ashraf in Iraq.' Two of Ms. Akbari Monfared's brothers were executed during the 1980s, and a sister and a brother were also executed during the mass execution of political prisoners in the summer of 1988. Additionally, see: Twitter storm in support of a political prisoner; Maryam Akbari Monfared has not had leave in the past 12 years. Several international organizations, including Amnesty International, have previously called for the immediate and unconditional release of Maryam Akbari Monfared.