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| Ghoncheh Ghavami has already been detained for four months after being arrested at Azadi stadium in Tehran. |
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 Tehran’s Revolutionary Court.
Ghavami has been detained for 127 days in prison since being arrested on 20 June at Azadi (“Freedom” in Farsi) stadium in Tehran where Iran’s national volleyball team was to play Italy. Although she had been released within a few hours after the initial arrest she was re-arrested days later.
Speaking to the Guardian, Ghavami’s brother Iman, 28, said the family was “shattered” by the court verdict.
“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,” he said.
No reason was given for the conviction though Ghavami had been accused of spreading propaganda against the regime, a broad charge often used by Iran’s judiciary. » | Josh Halliday | Sunday, November 02, 2014
Sign the petition: #FreeGoncheh » | Petition by Imam Ghavami, Ghoncheh’s brother, London
