The Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi becomes a heroine of the women's protests in her homeland after an affront at a competition. But there are growing concerns about the athlete, who climbed without the headgear required by Iranian law.
People around the world are worried about the Iranian climbing champion Elnaz Rekabi. The 33-year-old is said to be on her way back to her home country. According to reports on social media, her passport and mobile phone were confiscated, and there was also talk of an arrest. The Iranian embassy in Seoul categorically denied these allegations. Rekabi and her team would fly back to Tehran as planned on Tuesday, it said.
Rekabi took off the headscarf that is mandatory for Iranian athletes in the final of the Asian Championships in Seoul. This was seen as a sign of their solidarity with the women's movement in Iran and the protests against compulsory headscarves. On Tuesday night, numerous Iranians flocked to the capital's airport in Tehran to celebrate Rekabi as the new heroine of the women's protests. But the roads to the airport were sealed off during the night, and the police only allowed people with a valid flight ticket to continue their journey. This information has not yet been confirmed by the Iranian authorities.
In an Instagram story from an account attributed to Rekabi, the athlete apologized for not wearing a headscarf. "Due to an inappropriate timing and an unforeseeable call to climb" she unintentionally did not wear the headscarf, it said. "Currently, I'm on my way to Iran with the team, according to the previously agreed schedule."
Observers interpreted the apology as a forced statement. The Iranian authorities regularly put pressure on activists at home and abroad. Similar apologies are also being broadcast on state television, which human rights groups have criticized as forced confessions.
In addition, observers expect Rekabis to be excluded from the national team and be banned from leaving the country. Critics fear that Rekabi has been arrested and intimidated. Since the nationwide protests broke out, several prominent athletes - including former soccer pros Ali Daei, Ali Karimi and Mehdi Mahdavikia - have criticized the system for its repression of women's protests and announced their solidarity with the demonstrators.
