Lawyer of Ghancheh Ghavami: Court Should Make a Logical Decision About My Client as Soon as Possible

Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, the defense lawyer for Ghancheh Ghavami, has expressed hope that the court will make a logical decision regarding his client as soon as possible. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) on Saturday, Alizadeh Tabatabai stated in an interview with Ensaf News that media speculation has significantly harmed Ghavami. The defense lawyer noted that Ghavami has committed offenses that the prosecutor considers criminal, and in court, her charge was announced as 'propaganda against the regime.' He continued, 'Ghavami herself holds such a position. The issue of volleyball is not even mentioned in the case, and participating in the volleyball hall is not among her charges, but unfortunately, some media outlets raised issues and exaggerated them, turning the case into an international one.' Ghancheh Ghavami, a 25-year-old Iranian-British citizen, was arrested in June after attempting to enter the stadium to watch the volleyball match between Iran and Italy. She was released but was arrested again a few days later and imprisoned. The spokesperson for the judiciary denied previous reports of a one-year prison sentence for Ghavami, stating that her case is still under review. According to Ghavami's lawyer, 'She is a Muslim Iranian girl, and even the case expert wrote in response to the investigator about why the interrogation took so long, 'Because it coincided with the holy month of Ramadan, and she was fasting, I couldn't interrogate her much.' In response to the question of whether it was true that she had been on a dry hunger strike a few days ago, the lawyer stated that she had been on a hunger strike for a few days and was protesting that once my interrogation was over, there was no reason to remain in detention, and she should be transferred to prison. The judiciary accepted this, and she was transferred to Qarchak Prison in Varamin, where she is currently serving her detention period. Eman Ghavami, Ghavami's brother, had previously told AFP that 'she has been on a dry hunger strike since Saturday, November 10.' The British government had also previously expressed concern over the issuance of a prison sentence for Ghavami. According to the International Volleyball Federation's news site, at a recent meeting of this federation in Italy, all 210 participants spontaneously stood up for two minutes, clapping continuously, demanding Ghavami's release. In this context, the fifth day of Ghancheh Ghavami's dry hunger strike is noted. The World Volleyball Federation states that as long as women cannot attend stadiums, Iran has no right to host events. The spokesperson for the judiciary stated that no ruling has yet been issued for Ghancheh Ghavami. The cultural deputy of the judiciary stated that Ghavami's charge is 'propaganda against the regime.'