Ghoncheh Ghavami was arrested on June 30 after attending an International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) World League match between Iran and Italy at the Azadi Stadium 10 days earlier.

She has been held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison for more than two months, sparking international calls for her release.

A ban on women attending football matches in Iran has been in place since 1979, but this was extended to volleyball games in 2012.

Amnesty International has launched a campaign to see the 25-year-old released, although the organisation states the dual citizen, who was visiting family in Iran and volunteering with a charity at the time of her arrest, was part of a group of "dozens of other women and men who were protesting outside Tehran's Azadi Stadium".

Differing reports of Ghavami's intentions in Tehran have sparked some confusion over the case with her brother, Iman, stating she was there "to watch the match" and "thought women would be allowed to attend World League volleyball matches after Iran was warned about the matter by the FIVB".

Others, such as Amnesty, have reported she was part of a peaceful protest outside the stadium "demanding women be allowed equal access into the stadium".

Both reports urge Iran to release Ghavami, however, explaining she was arrested at the time and asked to surrender her identification documents before being released and re-arrested 10 days later, after she returned to the detention centre where she was originally held to collect her mobile phone.

Amnesty International has said that Ghoncheh Ghavami was part of dozens of women and men who were protesting outside Tehran's Azadi Stadium demanding women be allowed equal access into the stadium ©Amnesty International


After her arrest, plain-clothes agents went with her to her house to confiscate her laptop and books and then took her to Section 2A of Evin Prison, where she was kept in solitary confinement, without access to her family or lawyer for 41 days.

Iran's judiciary dismissed reports that Ghavami had been detained for trying to watch the game.

Speaking during a weekly press conference, Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'I, said: "Although this individual has been arrested at a spot where sports were being played, her case is not related to the issue of sports."

No further information was given on the arrest.

Ghavami's brother has flown to New York this week to try and bring attention to her plight.

He hopes that his presence in the city during the United Nations General Assembly can lift the profile of his sister's detention.

A petition he started on change.org has been signed by more than 340,000 people at the time of writing, and the case has been picked up across the world, including by the United Kingdom's Foreign Office.

The UK's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond claims to have raised the issue of Ghoncheh Ghavami's detainment during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javid Zarif on Monday ©Getty Images



A read-out of Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond's Monday meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Javid Zarif was released by the Foreign Office, in which Hammond claims to have raised Ghavami's case with his Iranian counterpart

"We discussed bilateral relations and reaffirmed our commitment to reopen our Embassies once the necessary practical arrangements can be made," Hammond's statement reads.

"I also raised the UK's continuing concerns about Iran's approach to human rights, in particular the treatment of a number of British-Iranian dual nationals detained in Iran, including Ghoncheh Ghavami."

Iman is also hopeful that Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron will raise the issue during his historic meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New York today.

The meeting is a first between a UK Prime Minister and Iranian President since Iran's revolution in 1979.

"They are the politicians and diplomats - they know how to resolve these issues," Iman told Vanity Fair.

"I also personally flew here to New York to see if I could take just a few moments of Mr Rouhani's time, and let him know what's happening to my sister, and what my family is suffering through."

Iman Ghavami is hopeful that UK Prime Minister David Cameron will raise the issue with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during their historic meeting in New York today
©Getty Images


In an interview with the Guardian, Iman said his parents grew more concerned yesterday when a visit to the prison was cancelled without explanation.

"They did go to the prison but the visit was cancelled [by the prison]," he said.

"No reason was given.

"My parents are concerned because her meetings have never been cancelled."

The 28-year-old, who lives in London, believes his sister's re-arrest came after police discovered she was a British-Iranian citizen.

"I think they found out about her dual citizenship and there was a change of attitude," he said.

"I don't think they would keep her in that prison for three months in solitary just for attending a volleyball match.

"It's been 86 days and they never announced a charge and then just out of the blue there is this charge of propaganda - it's a bit ambiguous - what does it mean?

"She wanted to watch the match, that's all."

Speaking before she was charged, FIVB President Dr Ary S Graça said there should be an "intelligent" and "clever" way to resolve the issue of women's attendance at matches in Iran.

But he said the governing body would not get directly involved in the issue, saying it had no power to force the Iranian Government to change its views.

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