Worry grows for Iran athlete who competed without her hijab
South Korea Iran Protest
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An Iranian competitive climber left South Korea on Tuesday after competing at an event in which she climbed without her nation's mandatory headscarf covering, authorities said. Farsi-language media outside of Iran warned she may have been forced to leave early by Iranian officials and could face arrest back home, which Tehran quickly denied.
The decision by Elnaz Rekabi, a multiple medalist in competitions, to forgo the headscarf, or hijab, came as protests sparked by the Sept. 16 death in custody of a 22-year-old woman have entered a fifth week. Mahsa Amini was detained by the country's morality police over her clothing.
The demonstrations, drawing school-age children, oil workers and others to the street in over 100 cities, represent the most-serious challenge to Iran's theocracy since the mass protests surrounding its disputed 2009 presidential election.
A later Instagram post on an account attributed to Rekabi described her not wearing a hijab as “unintentional," though it wasn't immediately clear whether she wrote the post or what condition she was in at the time. The Iranian government routinely pressures activists at home and abroad, often airing what rights group describe as coerced confessions on state television.
Rekabi left Seoul on a Tuesday morning flight, the Iranian Embassy in South Korea said. The BBC's Persian service, which has extensive contacts within Iran despite being banned from operating there, quoted an unnamed “informed source” who described Iranian officials as seizing both Rekabi's mobile phone and passport.
BBC Persian also said she initially had been scheduled to return on Wednesday, but her flight apparently had been moved up unexpectedly.
IranWire, another website focusing on the country founded by Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari who once was detained by Iran, alleged that Rekabi would be immediately transferred to Tehran's notorious Evin Prison after arriving in the country. Evin Prison was the site of a massive fire this weekend that killed at least eight prisoners.
In a tweet, the Iranian Embassy in Seoul denied “all the fake, false news and disinformation” regarding Rekabi’s departure on Tuesday. But instead of posting a photo of her from the Seoul competition, it posted an image of her wearing a headscarf at a previous competition in Moscow, where she took a bronze medal.
Calls to the Iranian Embassy in Seoul rang unanswered Tuesday.
Rekabi didn’t put on a hijab during Sunday’s final at the International Federation of Sport Climbing’s Asia Championship, according to the Seoul-based Korea Alpine Federation, the organizers of the event.
Federation officials said Rekabi wore a hijab during her initial appearances at the one-week climbing event. She wore just a black headband when competing Sunday, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail; she had a white jersey with Iran's flag as a logo on it.
The later Instagram post, written in the first person, offered an apology on Rekabi's behalf. The post blamed a sudden call for her to climb the wall in the competition — although footage of the competition showed Rekabi relaxed as she approached and after she competed. It also sought to describe her travel back to Iran on Tuesday as being “on schedule.”
Rekabi was on Iran’s 11-member delegation, comprised of eight athletes and three coaches, to the event, according to the federation.
Federation officials said they were not initially aware of Rekabi competing without the hijab but looked into the case after receiving inquires about her. They said the event doesn’t have any rules on requiring female athletes wearing or not wearing headscarves. However, Iranian women competing abroad under the Iranian flag always wear the hijab.
“Our understanding is that she is returning to Iran, and we will continue to monitor the situation as it develops on her arrival,” the International Federation of Sport Climbing, which oversaw the event, said in a statement. “It is important to stress that athletes’ safety is paramount for us and we support any efforts to keep a valued member of our community safe in this situation.”
The federation said it had been in touch with both Rekabi and Iranian officials, but declined to elaborate on the substance of those calls when reached by The Associated Press. The federation also declined to discuss the Instagram post attributed to Rekabi and the claims in it.
Later Tuesday, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry acknowledged that the Iranian athlete and her team had left the country, without elaborating.
Rekabi, 33, has finished on the podium three times in the Asian Championships, taking one silver and two bronze medals for her efforts.
So far, human rights groups estimate that over 200 people have been killed in the protests and the violent security force crackdown that followed. Iran has not offered a death toll in weeks. Demonstrations have been seen in over 100 cities, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. Thousands are believed to have been arrested.
Gathering information about the demonstrations remains difficult, however. Internet access has been disrupted for weeks by the Iranian government. Meanwhile, authorities have detained at least 40 journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly alleged the country's foreign enemies are behind the ongoing demonstrations, rather than Iranians angered by Amini’s death and the country's other woes.
Iranians have seen their life savings evaporate; the country's currency, the rial, plummeted and Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers has been reduced to tatters.
In a statement Tuesday, the office of the United Nations high commissioner for human rights called for the immediate release of all those “arbitrarily detained” in the protests. It also criticized the “unabated violent response by security forces” that has seen even children reportedly arrested and killed.
“The continued unnecessary and disproportionate use of force against protesters must stop," the statement said. "Arresting people solely for exercising their rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of liberty.”
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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers John Marshall in Phoenix and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul contributed to this report.
Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi could face repercussions after competing without a hijab in SeoulAn Iranian professional climber could face jail time in Iran after she competed without a hijab during the International Federation of Sport Climbing’s Asian Championships in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday.
Elnaz Rekabi, 33, reportedly left Seoul on Tuesday morning and will be transported directly from the airport to Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran, upon her arrival, according to IranWire, a news outlet founded by Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari in 2014.
This report comes hours after speculation about Rekabi's whereabouts following the event. Rekabi had initially been reported as missing by the BBC, but IranWire later reported she was "tricked" into entering the Iranian embassy building in Seoul by Reza Zarei, the head of Iran's Climbing Federation, on the orders of Mohammad Khosravivafa, Iran's Olympic Committee chairman, in order to more easily bring her back to Iran.
Rekabi wrote in an Instagram story on Tuesday morning that she was indeed leaving Seoul for Iran.
News of Rekabi's departure from Seoul to Tehran was later confirmed by the BBC, the Iranian embassy in Seoul and the International Federation of Sport Climbing. The embassy tweeted it "strongly denies all fake news, lies and false information" regarding Rekabi's situation. The IFSC also released a statement Tuesday morning acknowledging Rekabi's travel plans and also stated their support of athlete safety and the right to free speech.
"There is a lot of information in the public sphere regarding Ms Rekabi and as an organisation we have been trying to establish the facts," the IFSC wrote. "We have also been in contact with Ms Rekabi and the Iranian Climbing Federation.
"Our understanding is that she is returning to Iran, and we will continue to monitor the situation as it develops on her arrival.
"It is important to stress that athletes' safety is paramount for us and we support any efforts to keep a valued member of our community safe in this situation.
Rekabi recently won bronze in the women's combined event at the 2021 IFSC Climbing World Championships in Moscow. She's won three other medials since 2013 at various Asian Championship events.
Rekabi's decision not to wear a hijab went against Iranian law
Rekabi defied Iranian law which requires women to wear a headscarf covering at all times in public when she didn't don a hijab in Seoul. Rekabi has worn a hijab during other events, including her earlier appearances in Seoul, but said not wearing one on Sunday was "unintentional." Instead, she wore a black headband with her hair in a ponytail.
The event did not have rules requiring athletes from wearing headscarves. In a 2016 interview with Euronews, Rekabi said that wearing a hijab could be "a problem" when it gets too hot but that her team created an outfit "that respects the hijab and is compatible with practicing the sport of climbing."
IranWire later reported that Rekabi "made her decision to appear without a hijab around a month ago" but chose not to seek asylum because her husband was still in Iran.
This is only the second time an Iranian athlete openly broke the country's law regarding hijabs. Professional boxer Sadaf Khadem competed without a headscarf and also wore shorts in an international competition in France in 2019. She stayed in France following the event after Iran issued a warrant for her arrest.
Rekabi's act comes during a time where Iranian women have been protesting the headscarf law by burning hijabs and cutting their hair following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16. Amini was arrested and detained by Iran’s morality police on Sept. 13 after she reportedly wore her hijab too loosely. She died three days later in police custody.
Safety concerns mount for Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi, who competed without a headscarf, as she quietly flies back to Tehran 2 days earlier than planned
Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi competed on Sunday without wearing a hijab.
Her decision was seen as an act of solidarity with the women-led protests raging through Iran.
Reports say she flew back to Tehran two days earlier than planned, prompting fears for her safety.
Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi has flown back to Tehran from an international competition in South Korea two days earlier than planned, according to multiple reports, prompting rising concerns for her safety.
Rekabi made headlines on Sunday after she competed without wearing a customary hijab in a finals event at the International Federation of Sport Climbing's Asian Championships.
Wearing the hijab is mandatory for female Iranian athletes when they compete overseas, and Rekabi's declining to don the headscarf was widely seen as a historic show of solidarity with the women-led protests rocking Iran.
Rekabi's choice during her Sunday climb had been expected to lead to severe repercussions upon her return to Iran. On Monday evening, BBC Persian reported that the athlete disappeared hours after contact with her friends was cut off. Her passport and mobile phone were also taken, per the outlet.
BBC Presenter Rana Rahimpour later tweeted that Rekabi was on a flight to Iran two days earlier than planned.
Iranian citizen journalism website IranWire reported that Rekabi will be directly transferred to Evin Prison once she arrives in Tehran, citing an unnamed source. Rekabi was summoned to the Iranian embassy in Seoul after being told by a sporting official that she would be granted safe travel to Iran, the source told the outlet.
"Elnaz made her decision to appear without a hijab around a month ago and knew that she was going to compete without the mandatory hijab," the source said, according to IranWire.
"She did not seek asylum either because her husband is in Iran, and she wanted to return after the competition. She always makes such bold decisions," they added, per the outlet.
The Iranian embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
A Persian-language report by IranWire also wrote that Rekabi's brother, Daud Rekabi, was arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps on Monday morning Iran time. Insider was unable to verify the authenticity of this report.
Both IranWire reports claim the Rekabi siblings were intercepted under the order of Mohammad Khosravivafa, the chairman of Iran's Olympic Committee, who the outlet said received orders in turn from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Iranian Olympic Committee did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Rekabi's refusal to wear the hijab came amid weeks of protests in Iran over women's rights. The movement resurged in September after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being taken into custody of Iran's morality police. She had been arrested on accusation of not following Iran's strict rules on wearing the hijab. Officials claim that Amini died of a sudden heart attack, but her family and witnesses say she was taken into a van and beaten.
The resulting protests have seen women marching on city streets and removing their headscarves in acts of defiance. While these rallies have grown to also encompass dissent over economic conditions in Iran, women's rights have remained at the forefront of the movement.
Iranian leaders have since cracked down against the demonstrations, with security forces firing tear gas and arresting thousands.
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