A woman who was jailed for trying to watch a men's football match in Iran is reportedly fighting for her life after setting herself on fire outside a courthouse in Tehran on Monday.
According to the in Iran, the 29-year-old woman's sister told Iran media outlet, Rokna News, that her sister had been arrested and imprisoned after attempting to enter Tehran's Azadi Stadium in March.
"After being taken to [Gharchak] Prison in Varamin [city], my sister suffered a lot of mental issues and felt terrified,” her sister reportedly told Rokna News, who did not publish the woman's identity.
“She was eventually released on bail and when she went to the courthouse to pick up her phone, something happened and she heard she had to stay in prison for six months.
“In that poor mental and psychological state, my sister set herself on fire ... now she’s in a very bad condition in the hospital.”
The woman is currently in intensive care at Motahhari Hospital in Tehran, the Centre for Human Rights in Iran said in a statement.
Iran is possibly the only country to ban women from sporting stadiums, despite consistent pressure from the international football body - which has been in place since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Earlier this year, FIFA president Gianni Infantino sent a letter to the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) requesting that female fans be allowed to attend the men's World Cup qualifiers, which kick off this month.
"Whilst we are aware of the challenges and cultural sensitivities, we simply have to continue making progress here, not only because we owe it to women all over the world, but also because we have a responsibility to do so, under the most basic principles set out in the FIFA Statutes," Mr Infantino wrote.
Last month, the official Iran news agency, IRNA, reported that deputy Sports Minister Jamshid Taghizadeh had announced women would be allowed to attend "Tehran’s Azadi stadium to watch the match between Iran’s national team and Cambodia in October for the Qatar World Cup qualifier."
It is unclear whether this will apply to future games in Iran.
The stadium ban violates FIFA's code of ethics which "specifically prohibits discrimination including on the basis of gender".
While there is no legal prohibition on women attending sporting events in the conservative middle eastern nation, they are often refused entry and there have been multiple instances where they have been arrested for trying.
Some women, including foreign women who the ban does not apply to, .
In the meantime, a number of female fans have taken to donning beards and wigs, disguising themselves as men, so they can watch their teams play in person.
Images of these women have gone viral across the world.
According to , at least six women who dressed as men were detained last month, including an outspoken advocate against the ban Zahra Khoshnavaz.
“Iranian women should not be spending a second in prison because authorities accuse them of peacefully attempting to defy a ridiculous ban that denies women and girls equal rights to attend a football match,” Human Rights Watch director Minky Warden said.
In March last year, 35 women were reportedly detained during a single match.
