A British-Iranian woman, arrested more than two months ago for trying to attend a volleyball game, continues to be held in Tehran’s Evin Prison.

Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, was originally detained along with a group of women who were protesting an Iranian law which forbids women from watching men play volleyball. A similar law banning women from watching male soccer matches was instituted after the Iranian Islamic revolution in 1979. In 2012, the law was extended to include volleyball games.

Ghavami was released from the original custody on June 20, but when she went back a number of days later to collect her belongings, she was re-arrested and put in the notorious prison known for holding – and torturing – political prisoners and journalists. Rape and other sexual violations are frequently used as methods of torture by guards at Evin prison.

After being held for 50 days, her parents were allowed to visit her. They reported that that their daughter had been held in solitary confinement for 41 of the 50 days.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Amnesty International UK spokesperson Neil Durkin said, “We’re extremely worried about Ghoncheh’s predicament.  She’s been held in solitary for over a month in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison where she’s been under the control of the country’s Revolutionary Guards.

“Her lawyer has had no access to her or any documents about why she’s being held, though we understand she’s being investigated with a view to charging her with the extremely vague offence of ‘propaganda against the state.’ Ghoncheh is a prisoner of conscience and should be released immediately.”

The British Foreign Office has said that, although they were aware that a British citizen was being detained, because Britain and Iran have no diplomatic ties, they have “limited ability to assist [UK nationals] in any difficulty” and that Iran is “unlikely to grant any consular access.”

A social media campaign has begun to put pressure on Iran to free Ghavami. A Facebook page has been started as has a Twitter hashtag #FreeGhonchehGhavami.

Ghavami, who studied law in London and holds dual Iranian and British citizenship, was in Iran campaigning for women’s rights. She has been described as “naïve” and a supporter of President Hassan Rouhani, who she believed would institute reforms as he had promised.

Ghavani’s brother , 28 year-old Iman Ghavami, a student in London, told ITV news, “[The family] can barely hold themselves together. They are torn apart – not just my parents but my grandparents, my uncles, everybody.”

Iran’s police chief, Esmail Ahmadi Moghadam, speaking to the Fars news agency, commented, “In the current conditions, the mixing of men and women in stadiums is not in the public interest. The stance taken by religious scholars and the Supreme Leader remains unchanged, and as the enforcer of law, we cannot allow women to enter stadiums.”

For more information about the violations committed by the Iranian regime, see Clarion Project’s fact sheet on Human Rights in Iran.