British-Iranian woman jailed for trying to watch men's volleyball game

25-year-old Ghonche Ghavami was held in solitary confinement in Evin jail.

17:46 11 September 2014

A 25-year-old British-Iranian was arrested on June 20 for trying to watch a men’s volleyball match, it has now been revealed.

She was put behind bars for more than two months. She was released from custody but was again arrested and was transferred to in Evin jail, which is known for holding political prisoners and journalists.

Ghoncheh Ghavami’s brother Iman, said she rang her family in tears saying she had been put in solitary confinement for 41 days.

“[The family] can barely hold themselves together,” he told ITV News.

“They are torn apart – not just my parents but my grandparents, my uncles, everybody.”

Iran's head of police, Esmail Ahmadi Moghadam, explained: “In the current conditions, the mixing of men and women in stadiums is not in the public interest.”

“The stance taken by religious scholars and the supreme leader remains unchanged, and as the enforcer of law, we cannot allow women to enter stadiums.”

Foreign women who had travelled to Iran to watch volleyball matches have been permitted inside venues in the past but only when displaying their passport.

Meanwhile, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was “aware of reports” of her imprisonment and was “looking into them” but its diplomatic powers are limited in Iran.