DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian-British woman detained while trying to attend a men's volleyball game in Iran has been found guilty of spreading propaganda against the ruling system and sentenced to a year in prison, her lawyer said Sunday. 
 
 This 2011 photo provided by the Free Ghoncheh Campaign, shows Iranian-British Ghoncheh Ghavami in Isfahan, Iran. Ghavami detained while trying to attend a men's volleyball game has been sentenced to one... (Associated Press) 
 
 This 2011 photo provided by the Free Ghoncheh Campaign, shows Iranian-British Ghoncheh Ghavami in Isfahan, Iran. Ghavami detained while trying to attend a men's volleyball game has been sentenced to one... (Associated Press) 
 
 This 2012 photo provided by the Free Ghoncheh Campaign, shows Iranian-British Ghoncheh Ghavami posing for a photograph in London, England. Ghavami detained while trying to attend a men's volleyball game... (Associated Press) 
 
 Britain immediately raised concerns about Ghoncheh Ghavami's trial. The case highlighted the limits to free expression inside Iran and efforts by authorities to enforce strict interpretations of Islamic norms despite a policy of greater openness being pursued by moderate President Hassan Rouhani. 
 
 The 25-year-old woman's brother, Iman Ghavami, said the family had been hoping she would be set free based on time already served since her June arrest. They are still trying to get official details of the verdict, he said. 
 
 "We're disappointed and kind of shocked. We really hoped she'd be released," he told The Associated Press. 
 
 Ghavami's lawyer, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, said in an interview that a court found her guilty of "propagating against the ruling system." Tabatabaei said he was shown the text of the verdict but is still waiting to receive it officially. 
 
 "I was told at the court today that my client's case has been referred back to the prosecutor because Ghavami is facing new charges. So, the verdict was not given to me," he said. 
 
 Tabatabaei didn't elaborate what the new charges are or why fresh charges have been raised against his client now. 
 
 Ghavami was detained in June at Tehran's Freedom Stadium after trying to attend a men's volleyball match between Iran and Italy. 
 
 She is a graduate of the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies and had been volunteering to help street kids in Iran for a few months, her brother said. 
 
 Women are banned from attending male-only matches in Iran. Ghavami tried to enter the stadium with other women to protest the ban, according to Amnesty International. Female photographers inside the complex were also ordered to leave, though none was arrested. 
 
 Ghavami was held along with the other protesters for a few hours before being released. She was detained again a few days later and stood trial last month. Her brother said she had no access to her lawyer until it came time for her court hearing. 
 
 "This whole case has been full of abnormalities," Iman Ghavami said. 
 
 Ghavami has been held in solitary confinement for much of her time at Tehran's Evin prison, according to Amnesty. She went on hunger strike at one point last month to protest her detention. 
 
 The rights group sharply criticized Sunday's verdict and called Ghavami a prisoner of conscience. 
 
 "It's an outrage that a young woman is being locked up simply for peacefully having her say about how women are discriminated against in Iran," Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said. 
 
 Iman Ghavami said he believes authorities singled out his sister from the other female protesters because she holds both British and Iranian citizenship. Iranian authorities do not recognize dual nationalities for its citizens and treats them as Iranians under law. 
 
 The British Foreign Office expressed doubts about the sentence Sunday. 
 
 "We have concerns about the grounds for this prosecution, due process during the trial and Miss Ghavami's treatment whilst in custody," it said in a statement. 
 
 Iran's moderate President Rouhani has faced resistance from hard-liners who feel he is too soft on those who challenge strict interpretations of Islam. 
 
 In one case earlier this year, six young Iranian men and women who shot a video of themselves dancing together and unveiled to Pharrell Williams' "Happy" were arrested along with the film's director for allegedly breeching Islamic norms. They received suspended sentences of jail terms and lashes in September. 
 
 Iran's judiciary spokesman, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi, has criticized reports linking Ghavami's arrest to volleyball, saying last month: "Her case has nothing to do with sports." 
 
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 Associated Press writers Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran, Iran, and Danica Kirka in London contributed reporting. 
 
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 Follow Adam Schreck on Twitter at www.twitter.com/adamschreck ||||| Since June 2014 my younger sister is in solitary confinement in Tehran. She was arrested for going to a men's volleyball match. 
 
 Ghoncheh is a British Iranian dual citizen. She was there to watch a game. She was arrested because of a misunderstanding. 
 
 
 
 Amnesty International has called for an Urgent Action for my sister. Amnesty believes Ghoncheh has been put under psychological pressure and been told she "would not walk out of prison alive." 
 
 The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has said it was “aware of reports” of her imprisonment but its diplomatic powers are limited in Iran. We know that the UK Government has the power to do more to help Ghoncheh. Past cases have shown us that when pressure is applied Government will take more action. 
 
 Every signature and share will bring my sister closer to home. Will you help end this nightmare for my family? 
 
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 خواهر کوچکترم از نهم تیر در انفرادی به سر‌می‌برد. غنچه به خاطر رفتن به ورزشگاه والیبال دستگیر شد 
 
 غنچه به آن جا رفته بود تا بازی را تماشا کند. دستگیری او یک سوتفاهم است 
 
 با امضای این نامه به من کمک کنید تا خواهرم را دوباره به خانه برگردانم 
 
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 I'm a distressed brother who is fighting to bring her sister home. My sister is a law student in University of London. She should not have been arrested in the first place and does not deserve to be in solitary. 
 
 Amnesty International has said that "Ghoncheh's lawyer has not been allowed to meet in prison or even access her case file." 
 
 Ghoncheh was in Iran for a few months to work for a charity teaching literacy to street children and see our family. She thought women would be allowed to attend World League volleyball matches after Iran was warned about the matter by International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB). 
 
 Her arrest is a truly tragic misunderstanding. Will you help bring her home? ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Newsnight spoke to Ghoncheh Ghavami's brother, Iman in September 
 
 A British-Iranian woman detained at a men's volleyball match in Iran has been sentenced to a year in prison, her lawyer says. 
 
 Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, was found guilty of spreading anti-regime propaganda, lawyer Alizadeh Tabatabaie said. 
 
 Iran banned women from volleyball games in 2012, extending a long-standing ban on football matches. 
 
 The Iranian authorities have argued that women need protection from the lewd behaviour of male fans. 
 
 Britain's Foreign Office said it was concerned about the sentence. 
 
 "We have concerns about the grounds for this prosecution, due process during the trial, and Miss Ghavami's treatment whilst in custody," it said in a statement. 
 
 Amnesty International has described Ms Ghavami, who is from Shepherd's Bush in west London, as a prisoner of conscience, and called for her immediate release. More than 700,000 people have signed an online petition urging the authorities to free her. 
 
 The graduate of the University of London's School of African and Oriental Studies was part of a group of women who tried to watch Iran play Italy in a match on 20 June. 
 
 The women were arrested and allegedly beaten before being freed. 
 
 Ms Ghavami was rearrested later and subsequently put on trial. She launched a hunger strike in October after being held in isolation cells. ||||| An Iranian court has sentenced a British-Iranian woman to a year in jail for protesting a ban on women attending volleyball games, according to her lawyer and the semiofficial ILNA news agency. 
 
 Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, was arrested outside Tehran's Azadi Stadium in June while taking part in a demonstration against the ban, which was enacted in 2012, according to Amnesty International. The protest took place while Iran was playing Italy inside the stadium. 
 
 The volleyball ban joined an existing ban on women attending soccer games. The government says the laws are intended to protect women from exposure to unruly men at sporting events. 
 
 Ghavami's lawyer, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, told The Times that he was informally shown the verdict against his client but had not received official notification. 
 
 Amnesty International said Ghavami had been charged with "propaganda against the regime." 
 
 According to the London-based organization, she was beaten during her arrest, and was eventually incarcerated at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. She reportedly went on a 14-day hunger strike in early October to protest the conditions of her detention. 
 
 Volleyball World Championship 2014 Tytus Zmijewski / EPA An unidentified Iranian supporter watches a volleyball game between Iran and Argentina during the Men's World Championship in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in September. In Iran, woman are not allowed at volleyball games. An unidentified Iranian supporter watches a volleyball game between Iran and Argentina during the Men's World Championship in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in September. In Iran, woman are not allowed at volleyball games. (Tytus Zmijewski / EPA) 
 
 Alizadeh told ILNA (the Iranian Labor News Agency) that he hoped the court would roll back its sentence. "There is hope to get clemency for my client as she had a clean record before getting arrested," he said. 
 
 However, in an interview with The Times, he said that authorities have threatened to try Ghavami again on unspecified additional charges. 
 
 "They have not given concrete reasons, but they have announced to me the new accusations raised against Ghoncheh based on new evidence," he said. He added that his client "has not been indicted and she was not given her new accusations [but] she will be retried." 
 
 He added that he had never had an opportunity to meet with his client outside court. 
 
 "According to the court’s verdict, I, as the lawyer, can meet my client," he said, "but due to unknown reasons, this visit has not happened yet and I have not met my client apart from the session in the court." 
 
 Britain's Foreign Office issued a statement raising objections to Ghavami's treatment, the BBC reported. 
 
 "We have concerns about the grounds for this prosecution, due process during the trial, and Miss Ghavami's treatment whilst in custody," the British statement said. 
 
 Mostaghim is a special correspondent.
– Ghoncheh Ghavami may be the world's only volleyball-related political prisoner. The 25-year-old, who was arrested when she tried to attend a men's volleyball game in Iran earlier this year, has been "locked up simply for peacefully having her say about how women are discriminated against in Iran," an Amnesty International director says. She was first arrested in June and has now been sentenced to a year in prison for allegedly spreading propaganda against the ruling system, reports the AP. She tried to enter the stadium with other women to protest Iran's ban on women attending male-only matches, and her brother believes she was singled out for harsh treatment because she holds both Iranian and British citizenship. Iran extended a long-standing ban on women attending men's soccer matches to volleyball in 2012, arguing that women needed protection from unruly fans. Amnesty says Ghavami was beaten after her arrest and put in solitary confinement in a Tehran prison, where she spent two weeks on hunger strike last month. Her lawyer tells the Los Angeles Times that he has never been given the chance to meet with his client outside of court and that authorities have threatened to put her on trial again over unspecified additional charges. The BBC reports that British authorities have raised objections to Ghavami's treatment, and a petition to free her has received more than 700,000 signatures. (Last month, despite international outcry, Iran hanged a woman convicted of killing her would-be rapist.)