Iran volleyball woman jailed
TEHRAN: A Tehran court has jailed for one year a British-Iranian woman who was arrested after trying to attend a volleyball match, in a decision condemned Sunday as an outrage.
The case of Ghoncheh Ghavami, a 25-year-old law graduate from London, has drawn considerable attention because of her dual nationality and lengthy time in prison before trial, with Britain saying Sunday that it was concerned.
She was detained on June 20 at Azadi Stadium where Iran’s national volleyball team was to play Italy, and although she was released within a few hours she was re-arrested days later.
Having been in custody since — at least 41 days of which was spent in solitary confinement, according to her family — Ghavami went on trial behind closed doors last month.
“According to the verdict she was sentenced to one year,” her lawyer Alizadeh Tabatabaie said on Sunday.
No reason was given for the convic- tion though Ghavami had been accused of spreading propaganda against the regime, a broad charge often used by Iran’s judiciary.
Asked if the sentence could be reduced, Tabatabaie, who has not been allowed to visit his client, said: “Considering that Ghoncheh Ghavami has no criminal record, the court can alleviate the verdict.
Britain’s Foreign Office said it was “concerned” at reports of Ghavami’s sentence for spreading propaganda.
It also raised questions about the “grounds for this prosecution, due process during the trial and Miss Ghavami’s treatment while in custody.”
Amnesty International dubbed the court judgment “appalling.”
“It’s an outrage that a young woman is being locked up simply for peacefully having her say about how women are discriminated against in Iran,” said Kate Allen, the rights group’s director for Britain.