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British-Iranian Ghoncheh Ghavami, who was jailed in Iran after trying to see a volleyball match, is currently on a hunger strike, her brother told AFP.
The 25-year-old law graduate is refusing to eat liquids or food because the judge has not confirmed her one-year jail sentence, her brother said.
“She’s been on hunger strike from Saturday. She’s not eating any solid foods and she’s not drinking any liquids”, Iman Ghavami said.
He added that her sister’s lawyer had seen a document which sentenced her to jail for a year, but that the formal deadline for the verdict had passed.
“The case is in limbo… I don’t understand why they don’t want to issue the verdict when they have made the decision. It’s quite concerning for us. They have no legal basis to have her detained”, he said.
Ghoncheh Ghavami was arrested on June 20th after attempting to attend a men’s volleyball game between Italy and Iran in the Azadi Stadium in Tehran; Azadi means “Freedom” in Farsi. Female fans and female journalists were told that they can’t attend the game, leading to a brief protest. She was initially released after being detained for a few hours, but was rearrested in a few days at a police station when she tried to reclaim items which were confiscated near the stadium.
Women in Iran are banned from attending football and volleyball matches, which officials claim is to protect them from indecent behavior. No specific reason was given for Ghavami’s sentencing, although she was accused of circulating anti-regime propaganda, an often-used charge by the Iranian judiciary. Iranian officials have said that she was arrested for security reasons not related to the volleyball game.
Two weeks before she was sentenced, Ghavami had gone on hunger strike, when she was held without charge for months before she was put on a closed-door trial.
He case has elicited international attention, and has been described by rights group Amnesty International as “appalling”. The British Foreign Office also raised concerns over the court’s ruling and “grounds for this prosecution, due process during the trial and Miss Ghavami’s treatment while in custody”.