British-Iranian woman jailed for a year for trying to enter a sports arena

A British-Iranian woman detained in Iran for trying to watch a volleyball game has been sentenced to one year in a notorious prison, according to her family and lawyer.

Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, a law graduate from London, was found guilty of spreading “propaganda against the regime” following a secret hearing at a revolutionary court in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

Ghavami has been detained for 127 days in prison since being arrested on 20th June at Azadi Stadium in Tehran where Iran’s national volleyball team was scheduled to play Italy.

Although she had been released within a few hours after the initial arrest she was rearrested days later.

Speaking to The Guardian, Ghavami’s brother Iman, said the family felt “shattered” by the court verdict, explaining “We are really disappointed because we felt she would get out on bail immediately.

“She’s been through a lot and now it’s a full-year sentence and she’s already served four months.”

No reason was given for the conviction, although Ghavami had been accused of spreading propaganda against the regime, an unspecific charge often used by Iran’s judiciary.

Ghavami’s lawyer, Alizadeh Tabatabaie, was quoted in Iranian media as saying “according to the verdict she was sentenced to one year.”

Asked if the sentence could be reduced, Tabatabaie, who has not been allowed to visit his client, added “considering that Ghoncheh Ghavami has no criminal record, the court can alleviate the verdict.

“In a meeting Ghoncheh had with her mother on Wednesday, she said no new charges have been filed against her.”

In early October Ghavami spent 14 days on hunger strike in protest at her detention.

Regular Australasian Leisure Management contributor James M. Dorsey believes that Ghavami's imprisonment is at part of a cultural struggle between reformists and conservatives in advance of upcoming parliamentary elections.

In September, Dorsey wrote "Ghavami’s attempt to enter Tehran’s Azadi Stadium was part of a protest staged by dozens of women against the fact that Brazilian women had earlier been allowed to attend a volleyball match between their country’s national team and Iran."

A petition on the site Change.org has amassed more than 700,000 signatories calling for Ghavami’s release.

Image of Iranian women volleyball fans courtesy of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

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