British Prime Minister, 700K Citizens Demand Release of Woman Jailed for a Year for Watching a Volleyball Match in Tehran, Iran
A British-Iranian woman and law graduate from London was detained in Tehran after trying to watch a men's volleyball game.
Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, has been sentenced to a year in prison for spreading anti-regime propoganda, her lawyer told the BBC.
Ghavami was detained after trying to attend the game, since Iran has banned women from attending games since 2012. The Iranian authorities contend that women need protection from the lewd behavior of male fans.
The British Foreign Office and at least 700,000 other individuals, on the other hand, are interested in pushing for her release.
"We have concerns about the grounds for this prosecution, due process during the trial, and Miss Ghavami's treatment whilst in custody," the foreign office said in a statement.
Amnesty International said Ghavami is a prisoner of conscience, and a petition circulated by her brother has been signed by 700,000 people urging for her release.
Ghavami was one of several women who tried to watch the match, between Iran and Italy, on June 20. All were arrested and allegedly beaten before being freed, but Ghavami was rearrested and put on trial. She then launched a 14-day hunger strike after being held in an isolation cell in October, according to The Guardian.
Ghavami's family is in Tehran and has not been able to speak since the verdict Saturday. Ghavami has already spent 127 days in jail since June 20.
The charge of anti-regime propaganda is one that concerns the family and her lawyers. Since Ghavami has no criminal record, it can be alleviated.
The charge is an unspecific charge often used by Iran's judiciary, and was delivered in a secret hearing by the revolutionary Tehran court.
But her arrest has drawn media attention and condemnation from the highest political levels including British Prime Minister David Cameron, who brought it up with the Iranian president at a meeting in September in New York.
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