Iranian-British woman Ghoncheh Ghavami was released from an Iran prison. She was detained in June for trying to watch a men’s volleyball match.
Her sentence was originally a year for spreading anti-state propaganda. Ghavami staged hunger strikes to protest her detention and hundreds of thousands of people have petitioned for her release.
For her previous good behavior, she has been bailed until her court appeal. Iran’s Sharq newspaper reported that her bail payment equated to $38,000.
The Iranian-British woman who was released wants to spend her current time with her family. Her parent weren’t allowed to visit her when she was transferred to a new prison recently. They were only allowed to speak to her on the phone.
Amnesty International claims Ghavami was kept in solitary confinement for most of her time in prison. She also reportedly faced death threats.
When Ghavami and a group of other women attempted to watch Iran play Italy in volleyball on June 20, the women were arrested and allegedly beaten. Iran banned women from attending men’s volleyball games in 2012. Women also aren’t allowed to attend soccer matches, as government officials claim the male behavior at these games is too inappropriate for women to see.
Prosecutors have stated that she was charged for protesting, not trying to watch the volleyball match.
Iranian authorities also pushed for her to be charged with spying. If those charges were brought against her, she could face a prison sentence of up to six years.
Before her release, British authorities expressed concern over how the justice of Ghavami’s arrest. UK’s Foreign Office also questioned her “due process during the trial and Ghavami’s treatment whilst in custody.”
Though Ghoncheh Ghavami is a dual citizen, Iran doesn’t recognize this and treated her as an Iranian. While the British government recognizes dual nationality, international law holds that countries can’t offer diplomatic protection to citizens who are in a second country where they also hold citizenship.
The Iranian-British woman, released for now, hopes to be vindicated at her court appeal.