Iranian woman sentenced to one year in prison for attending a volleyball game in Tehran

Barely a week after Reyhaneh Jabbari was hanged for killing a man she claimed was trying to rape her, Iran has, on Sunday, sentenced 25-year-old Ghoncheh Ghavami to a year of imprisonment for attempting to go to a men’s volleyball game. This is the latest in a series of rulings where citizen’s demanding reforms have been put down by the repressive Iranian regime. Whether it’s the Islamic republic’s rulings on clothes, relationships, dancing in public or the media in general, and women definitely have the shorter end of the stick under Ayatollah Khameini’s regime. Earlier this year, three girls dancing to Pharell Williams’ ‘Happy’ song in Tehran without their hijabs were given 91 lashes and were sentenced to a year in prison- a sentence that was later suspended. Roya Saberi Negad Nobakht, a 47-year-old British housewife, was sent to prison on charges of posting messages critical of the president on Facebook. She was arrested shortly after arriving in Iran on holiday. [caption id=“attachment_1785467” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ghoncheh Ghavami sentenced to a year in prison. Reuters[/caption] Ghoncheh Ghavami’s case is no different from theirs, it took place behind closed doors and has raised concerns about the entire grounds for prosecution, freedom of expression within the country and of course, questions if President Hassan Rouhani’s moderate policies will ever come into effect. Though Ghavami’s effort to protest against this inane law that is, according to the Iranian government, trying to protect women from ‘the lewd behaviour of men’ has been commended, the budding lawyer should have been well aware of the consequences of protesting against Iran’s strict interpretations of Islam. Women supporters are absolutely forbidden from interacting with men at sporting arenas and facilities. Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen told AP that “It’s an outrage that a young woman is being locked up simply for peacefully having her say about how women are discriminated against in Iran”. Iran – as is their wont – will turn a deaf ear to the protests lodged by British Prime Minister David Cameron and though an online petition started by her brother Imam Ghavami has reached 700,000 backers, the country does not recognize dual citizenship and treats dual nationals as Iranians. Another dual citizen and Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian remains imprisoned since July. However, Iran’s judiciary spokesman, Gholam Hussein Mohseni-Ejei, has denied reports that Ghavami’s case is related to the volleyball protest, saying last month that her arrest “has nothing to do with sports” but instead it is punishment for propagating against the ruling system.