Iranian-British national, Ghoncheh Qavami, released on bail

Iranian-British national, Ghoncheh Qavami, has been released on bail in the Iranian capital Tehran, her mother says.

Susan Moshtaqian confirmed to ISNA news agency on Sunday that a judge had agreed to put her daughter out of jail after paying bail amounting to one billion rials (around USD 37,000).

This comes days after Tehran Prosecutor’s Office rejected media propaganda on reasons behind the arrest of Qavami, saying she had been taken into custody for her anti-Iran activities.

Moshtaqian went on to say that “my daughter is freed until the appeals court issues the final verdict."

She added that Bench 26 of the Islamic Revolution Court has sentenced Qavami to one year in jail and an additional two-year restriction on leaving Iran on charge of “propaganda against the [Islamic Republic] establishment.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the judicial body dismissed foreign media reports that the 25-year-old woman had been detained for merely trying to attend a men’s volleyball game at a stadium in Tehran, calling such reports irrelevant to Qavami’s case.

Investigations show that Qavami had a role in anti-Iran activities, said the statement, adding, she also “attended gatherings and demonstrations against the [Islamic] establishment.”

According to the statement, the defendant also faces charges of having links to the programmers and promoters of anti-Iran satellite channels, including BBC Persian.

Police had also seized a cellphone from her, which contained several photos and videos related to the elements behind the 2009 post-election unrest in Iran, added the statement.