Ghoncheh Ghavami (born 1989), also spelled as Goncheh Ghavami (Persian: غنچه قوامی), is a British-Iranian law graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London who was held in solitary confinement in Evin Prison for protesting for equal access to sporting events in Iran.
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 of Tehran.
[3] On 20 June 2014, Ghavami was detained while trying to enter a Volleyball World League match (Iran vs Italy) at Azadi Indoor Stadium in Tehran.
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.
Miss Ghavami's arrest and imprisonment has nothing to do with the issue of sports and women's participations in stadiums, and is a national security matter.Ghavami was released on bail in November 2014.
In an open letter to President Hassan Rouhani, 300 Iranian human and civil rights activists highlighted the conditions Ghavami was being held under.