A British woman is behind bars in Iran - because she wanted to watch a men's volleyball game.


Ghoncheh Ghavami was arrested along with a dozen other women outside a sport stadium in Tehran in June, and has been locked up in a notorious prison ever since.

The group had been protesting about women's rights and tried to get inside a men's section of a sports stadium.

Inside, the Iranian national men’s team was playing Italy but Iran has a ban on mixed crowds watching sports because the players are not considered to be 'fully dressed'.

The law was introduced after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“In the current conditions, the mixing of men and women in stadiums is not in the public interest,” said Iran's head of police, Esmail Ahmadi Moghadam, according to the Fars news agency.

The 25-year-old - who has British and Iranian passports - was released from custody but when she went back to collect her belongings days later, she was arrested a second time and transferred to Tehran’s Evin jail, the Independent reports.


She is being held in solitary confinement at the prison, which is known for holding political prisoners and journalists.

An online campaign has been launched to free her, using the hashtag #FreeGhonchehGhavami, and a Facebook page has been set up here.



Source - http://www.stobmedia.com/british-woman-jailed-in-iran-for-trying-to-watch-mens-volleyball-game/

A British woman is behind bars in Iran - because she wanted to watch a men's volleyball game.


Ghoncheh Ghavami was arrested along with a dozen other women outside a sport stadium in Tehran in June, and has been locked up in a notorious prison ever since.

The group had been protesting about women's rights and tried to get inside a men's section of a sports stadium.

Inside, the Iranian national men’s team was playing Italy but Iran has a ban on mixed crowds watching sports because the players are not considered to be 'fully dressed'.

The law was introduced after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“In the current conditions, the mixing of men and women in stadiums is not in the public interest,” said Iran's head of police, Esmail Ahmadi Moghadam, according to the Fars news agency.

The 25-year-old - who has British and Iranian passports - was released from custody but when she went back to collect her belongings days later, she was arrested a second time and transferred to Tehran’s Evin jail, the Independent reports.


She is being held in solitary confinement at the prison, which is known for holding political prisoners and journalists.

An online campaign has been launched to free her, using the hashtag #FreeGhonchehGhavami, and a Facebook page has been set up here.



Source - http://www.stobmedia.com/british-woman-jailed-in-iran-for-trying-to-watch-mens-volleyball-game/

Islam is a self imposed prison