British man petitions Iran's President to release sister from prison

Ghoncheh Ghavami

The brother of a British law graduate imprisoned in Tehran has attempted to hand-deliver a petition calling for his sister's release to the Iranian President.

Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, has been detained in the notorious Evin jail for more than three months after she was arrested at a protest for women's rights.

Her only crime was trying to enter a men-only arena to watch a the national volleyball team play a match.

Today, her brother Iman tried to hand-deliver a petition bearing 375,000 signatures to the Iranian embassy in New York, only to be turned away.

Iman Ghavami delivering a petition for his sister's release Credit: ITV News/Matt Williams

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani was in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

Although Iman did not have a chance to meet President Rouhani face-to-face, an event attended by the premiere was interrupted by a protester raising Ghavami's plight.