According to state-run media a young woman set herself on fire outside a Tehran court after finding out she had to serve another six months of prison for trying to sneak into Azadi Stadium to watch a soccer game.
The Iranian regime bans female spectators from soccer games and other public sporting events in stadiums. The ban is not written into law or regulation, but is enforced by the country’s authorities.
RONKA News Agency said that the unidentified 29 year old set herself on fire outside court on Monday September 2.
The report said that she came out of court shouting and expressing strong grievances before dousing herself with gas and setting herself on fire.
Her sister told ROKNA that she had gone to watch a match between two Iranian national soccer teams in March.
“When my sister entered the stadium, agents found out and arrested her,” she said.
Her sister said that the woman was suffering from bipolar disorder and had been undergoing treatment for the last two years.
She said that they gave the court sufficient evidence to prove her illness but they continued the legal proceedings without considering her illness.
“My sister went through serious mental pressure in Qarchak Prison and was afraid”, she added.
The young woman set herself on fire after being told in court that she had to spend another six months in prison for sneaking into the soccer game.
Her sister said that she was in very critical condition in the hospital.
The notorious Qarchak Prison is a women’s prison near Tehran known for its horrid conditions.
A judicial official said that the woman was detained because of “improper veiling” and “clashing with police”.
He said she set herself on fire as a way to protest the court not seeing to her case at the time.
A doctor at the hospital where she is being treated said that 90% of her body had suffered third degree burns and that she was not able to breath on her own.
Source » irannewswire