Yahoo Lifestyle Woman Jailed For Attending Volleyball Game In Iran
A British-Iranian woman arrested in September has now been sentenced to one year in jail.
Ghoncheh Ghavami was peacefully protesting the law against women attending sporting events at a volleyball game in Iran when she was detained by authorities and jailed.
Amnesty International has called for further review of the case, with Kate Allen, the rights group's director for Britain, referring to the sentencing as "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 Allen on the organisation's website.
"Ghoncheh is a prisoner of conscience and Iranian authorities should quash the sentence and release her immediately and unconditionally."
Ghoncheh's brother, Iman Ghavami, made an impassioned appeal to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to free his sister in September. He flew from London to New York to appeal to Iran's United Nations mission in person, carrying with him a petition containing almost 400,000 signatures of people calling for his sister's freedom.
"What did my sister to do deserve this?" Ghavami said. "How can it be a crime to want to watch a volleyball match?"
"This isn't about global politics being discussed right down the street. This is about one young woman who has been wrongly incarcerated for a crime no-one even knew could be committed."
Ghavami described his parents as "shattered" by the sentencing, telling press, "I mean they didn't expect this you know, she's already been through enough and now she's going to get a year," he said.
Women are banned from watching football and soccer matches in Iran, to "protect" them from the "lewd behaviour" exhibited by male fans.
To support Amnesty International in their campaign to free Ghoncheh Ghavami, click here.
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Woman detained for attending Volleyball game in Iran
