Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi, 33, made headlines a few days ago. The Iranian woman who won the World Championship bronze in 2021 climbed last weekend in a competition in South Korea without the hijab that covers her hair, i.e. the headdress that Iranian women should wear according to the country’s laws.
Rekab’s act has been praised in Iran and elsewhere. Especially since Rekabi competed without a hijab at the same time that there has been a strong show of support for Iranian women in Iran and elsewhere in the world.
The protests started when the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died on September 16 at the hands of Iranian chastity police. The chastity police arrested Amin because, in their opinion, he was not dressed modestly enough. The police have denied the abuse and said Amin died due to health problems.
The protests in recent weeks have been the most violent in Iran since 2019, when more than 300 people died in a wave of protests that broke out due to fuel price increases.
Read more: This is why the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amin are extraordinary – see a summary of the history of women’s rights in Iran
Human rights organizations believe: Instagram post forced
Concerns about Rekab’s health and fate began soon after he had finished fourth in the South Korean competitions. BBC reported (switch to another service) on Monday, that Rekab’s friends had not been able to contact him after Sunday. In addition, BBC sources said that the climber’s passport and phone would have been taken.
It was reported that the team members left the South Korean hotel where the Iranian team was staying on Monday morning. According to the BBC, Rekabi left the hotel two days before the planned return home.
Rekab was not heard from until Tuesday when he updated his Instagram – or was updated, as many believe. Rekab’s Instagram stated that she did not compete without a hijab on purpose, but that the incident was an accident.
According to the BBC, Rekab’s Instagram revealed that the hijab fell off accidentally due to bad timing and because her turn in the competition came unexpectedly. In addition, it was reported on Rekab’s Instagram that he apologizes for the concern he caused and that the Iranian climbing team is on its way back to its home country according to the pre-arranged schedule.
The Instagram posts did not reduce the concern about Rekab’s fate. the BBC Rana Rahimpour said (you switch to another service), that the language used on Instagram has made many suspect that Rekabi made the post under duress. According to the BBC, Iranian women who played sports without a hijab have told of their experiences that the Iranian authorities had demanded similar apologies.
– The punishment has already started, said the head of the Iran Human Rights organization, a professor, on Tuesday Mahmood Reza Amiry-Moghaddam According to CNN (you’ll go to another service).
– He was completely blacked out for one whole day… and then he just wrote this one post on his Instagram. So the pressure on him already started from South Korea, Amiry-Moghaddam believed.
Famous chess referee: “I was given a list of things to do”
The BBC reminds a chess referee in its news From Shohreh Bayat, of which two years ago, pictures were spread when she was refereeing in Shanghai without a hijab. He received death threats and ended up seeking asylum in England.
– I had to choose my side because I was asked to apologize publicly. I was given a list of things to do. I knew that if I just followed the things I didn’t believe in – if I apologized for not wearing a scarf, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself, Bayat comments now.
Bayat does not believe that Rekabi left the hijab by accident. He commented that Rekabi made “a strong statement by not wearing a scarf”.
The Iranian embassy in the South Korean capital, Seoul, denied that Rekabi had been forced to leave his country. The embassy announced that it denies “all false reporting”.
The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) said it had been in contact with Rekab and the Iranian Climbing Federation.
– It is worth emphasizing that the safety of athletes is of the utmost importance to us and we support all efforts to keep a valued member of our community safe in this situation, IFSC stated.
On Tuesday, Rekab’s brother Davoud Rekabi had commented on his sister’s situation to the national Tasmin news agency, reports CNN. Davoud had said that his sister “always plays sports using the national team uniform”.
– Elnaz belongs to this country, and he will always play sports for this country, Davoud Rekabi had said in his exit, which according to CNN is also suspected to have been done under pressure.
Returned to Tehran a hero – apologized for the confusion he caused to the media
Early Wednesday morning, Rekabi returned to Iran’s capital, Tehran. At the airport, he was met by a large group of people who shouted his name and called him a hero. At the airport terminal, she was given flowers.
Rekabi also spoke to the media at the airport. In his comments, he repeated the same thing that had been said on his Instagram earlier. Rekabi told the media that competing without a hijab was an injury because she had problems with her shoes and other equipment, so she was in a hurry.
Rekab’s reception and comments to the media can be seen in the video that is the main image of this article.
Rekabi apologized for the turmoil he caused and said he returned to Iran healthy. According to Reuters, Rekabi denied that he should have returned earlier than planned. He also denied that he had been unreachable for 48 hours and said that he is not going to leave the national team.
Rekabi left the airport in a white van in the middle of the crowd. International news media write that it is not known whether Rekabi has been arrested in his home country or what further measures he may face.
After Rekab arrived in his home country, pictures of him sitting in a meeting with Iran’s Minister of Sports and Youth By Hamid Sajjad with. It has also been considered a statement on social media that Rekabi has performed after returning to her home country in a hood and cap, not in the actual hijab.
According to The Guardian (You’re moving to another service) The International Olympic Committee has held a meeting with the International Sport Climbing Federation and the Iranian authorities. The IOC says that it received “clear guarantees that Rekabi will not have to suffer the consequences and will continue training and competing”. President of the Iranian Olympic Committee Mahmoud Khosravi Vafa said, according to the news agency AP, that there is no reason for punishment, because Rekabi’s climbing without a hijab “was not intentional”.
Guardian: Iran fears athletes’ sentiments
During the protests that have spread across Iran in recent weeks, many athletes supporting the demonstrations have been harassed, reports The Guardian. According to the British newspaper, the Iranian authorities’ biggest fear is the protests at the World Cup in Qatar, where Iran is playing in the same group as England, Wales and the USA.
Although Rekabi has not said – or could say – that she climbed on purpose without a hijab, the praise for her actions has not subsided.
– She, like countless women in Iran, has risked everything to tell the world that she opposes the forced hijab, and we are very concerned about her safety, said the head of the Center for Human Rights in Iran Hadi Ghaemi.
Over the past few weeks, more than 200 people have been estimated to have died when the Iranian authorities broke up the protests. Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights claimed on Tuesday (you switch to another service) Iran to stop using unnecessary and disproportionate force against protesters. In addition, the UN demanded the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained.
According to various sources, up to 23 children have died and many others have been injured in at least seven provinces. Several schools have also been raided and children have been detained by security forces for allegedly participating in anti-state protests.