Iranian-British Ghoncheh Ghavami will remain free until an appeals court rules on an initial decision that sentenced her to a year in prison.

Iranian-British Ghoncheh Ghavami, arrested and charged after attending a men-only volleyball game in Tehran, was released on an almost $30,000 bail Sunday, her mother said.

“My daughter has insisted in the initial court that she is not guilty,” Sousan Moshtaghian was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency, according to the Associated Press.

“We are hopeful that she will be acquitted in the appeal court,” she added.

Ghavami was detained in June after she defied strict gender-segregation regulations banning women from attending men’s sports matches.

Ghavami will remain free until an appeals court rules on an initial decision that sentenced her to a year in prison for “propagating against the ruling system.”

The mother said the family plans on hiring a new attorney for her appeal.

The judiciary however maintains that her case is linked to opposition work, not a volleyball match.

British authorities had voiced concerns about Ghavami’s trial.

A graduate of the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, she had been volunteering to help street kids in Iran for a few months, her brother has said.

Earlier this month, sports officials said they revisited rules banning women from attending men’s matches, adding that they would be allowed to do so in the future.

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 were arrested.

Ghavami was held along with the other protesters for a few hours before being released. She was detained again a few days later. Amnesty said she had been held in solitary confinement for much of her time at Tehran’s Evin prison.

 
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