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A former London student has been locked up in an infamous Iranian prison for watching a men's volleyball match in Tehran.

Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, was among a group of women who were arrested and later taken to Evin jail after attending the match between Iran and Italy.

The demonstrators were protesting at the Azadi Stadium on June 20 against the country's law which bans women from male sporting events.

Ms Ghavami, a British national who studied law at SOAS university, was initially freed by the authorities but was re-arrested and jailed after returning to a detention centre to get her belongings.

She has reportedly spent more than 40 days in solitary confinement since she was re-arrested.

A social media campaign to free her and the jailed women has been gaining support this week.

A Facebook page set up to raise awareness of her plight has gained more than 9,000 likes, while the hashtag #FreeGhonchehGhavami has been trending on Twitter.

The Foreign Office has said it is aware of the situation but is unlikely to intervene because it does not have diplomatic ties with Iran.

Posting on Facebook, the SOAS Iranian Society said Ms Ghavami faces another two months in prison before her case will be heard.

It said: "Ghoncheh has been in prison for over 2 months, despite the fact that all investigations into her case have ended. She is still in detention awaiting a hearing. Officials have apparently indicated that the hearing will be postponed for another two months."

A spokesperson for Amnesty International told MailOnline: "Ghoncheh is a prisoner of conscience and should be released immediately."