Ghoncheh Ghavami (born 1989), also spelled as Goncheh Ghavami ( fa, غنچه قوامی), is a British-Iranian law graduate of the
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...
who was held in solitary confinement in
Evin Prison for protesting for equal access to sporting events in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.
On 20 June 2014 she was arrested for the first time after she attempted to attend a men-only volleyball match in
Azadi Indoor Stadium
The Azadi Indoor Stadium, officially named Azadi 12,000 Capacity Hall ( fa, سالن دوازده هزار نفری آزادی), is an indoor sports arena in Tehran, Iran. The stadium has a seating capacity of 6,583, and the stadium capacity w ...
of
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
. Although she was released on the same day, she was re-arrested days later when she returned to collect her belongings; she was then taken to Evin Prison. Her arrest raised international protests, but Iranian officials denied the link between her arrest and the volleyball match. She was charged with "propaganda against the
regime
In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...
", according to
Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejeie, the second-ranking member of Iran's judiciary.
Women have been prohibited from attending male-only football matches in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
since 1979, and was extended to volleyball matches in 2012.
Eventually, Ghavami was released on bail on 23 November 2014. She was sentenced to a one-year jail term and a two-year travel ban.
Life
Ghavami was born in about 1989 and has an elder brother. She lived in
Shepherd's Bush in London in 2014. She has dual British and Iranian nationality. She studied law and graduated from the
Law School at the School of Oriental and African Studies,
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
. She worked for a charity in Iran teaching children to read and write.
Arrest and detention
On 20 June 2014 Ghavami was detained while trying to enter a
Volleyball World League
The FIVB Volleyball World League was an annual international men's volleyball competition. Created in 1990, it was the longest and richest of all the international events organized by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). The wome ...
match (
Iran vs Italy) at
Azadi Indoor Stadium
The Azadi Indoor Stadium, officially named Azadi 12,000 Capacity Hall ( fa, سالن دوازده هزار نفری آزادی), is an indoor sports arena in Tehran, Iran. The stadium has a seating capacity of 6,583, and the stadium capacity w ...
in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
. She and other women's rights campaigners were protesting outside the stadium for equal access to sporting events.
It is illegal for women to interact with male spectators at sports facilities in Iran. This law was allegedly introduced to protect female spectators from the lewd behaviour of other spectators. The arrested campaigners broke this law.
Ghavami was arrested at the security gate to the stadium and released on bail. When she returned a week later to collect her belongings, she was re-arrested and taken to
Evin Prison where she was held in solitary confinement. She shared a cell for a brief while with
Atena Farghadani, an Iranian artist and political activist. She began a
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...
on 1 October 2014 after being held in solitary detention for 100 days.
Iran's judiciary has denied that the charges against Ghavami are related to her stadium visit, stating she was charged with "propaganda against the regime".
Ghavami was released on bail in November 2014.
''The New York Times'' reported Ghavami's bail as being "around $30,000" and reported that the Iranian authorities would not allow her to return to the UK due to her two-year travel ban.
Responses
775,046 people had signed a petition started by her brother in change.org to free her and bring her back to UK.
In an open letter to President Hassan Rouhani, 300 Iranian human and civil rights activists highlighted the conditions Ghavami was being held under.
The foreign secretary of the United Kingdom,
Philip Hammond
Philip Hammond, Baron Hammond of Runnymede (born 4 December 1955) is a British politician and life peer who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019, Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, and Defence Secretary from 2011 to 2014. ...
, raised her case with
Mohammad Javad Zarif
Mohammad Javad Zarif Khansari ( fa, محمدجواد ظریف خوانساری, Mohammad-Javād Zarīf Khānsāri ; ; born 8 January 1960) is an Iranian career diplomat and academic. He was the foreign minister of Iran from 2013 until 2021 in th ...
, Iranian Minister for Foreign Affairs, at talks at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
in New York City. However, Iran does not recognise her dual nationality as a British citizen.
See also
* ''
Offside'' (2006 Iranian film)
*
Iran–United Kingdom relations
Iran–United Kingdom relations are the bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Iran. Iran, which was called Persia by the West before 1935, has had political relations with England since the late Ilkhanate period (13th century) when K ...
*
List of foreign nationals detained in Iran
Since the Iran hostage crisis, the Islamic Republic of Iran has engaged in a pattern of detaining foreign nationals for extended periods. Dual nationals of Iran and another country are particularly vulnerable to arbitrary detention because the int ...
*
Kamal Foroughi
Kamal Foroughi ( fa, کمال فروغی; born 3 September 1939) is a British-Iranian businessman who was imprisoned in Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran. Iranian authorities arrested him in May 2011 while he was living in Tehran as a consultant for t ...
References
External links
Amnesty International Campaign to free Ghoncheh GhavamiAmnesty International Urgent Action about Ghoncheh Ghavami
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghavami, Ghoncheh
Living people
Iranian women activists
Iranian prisoners and detainees
2014 in Iran
British people imprisoned in Iran
Iranian emigrants to the United Kingdom
Alumni of SOAS University of London
Hunger strikers
Iranian dissidents
1989 births
Inmates of Evin Prison
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom