Concerns are rising for a feminine Iranian athlete, who took phase in a mountaineering pageant in South Korea with out dressed in her country’s obligatory scarf overlaying.
The choice by way of Elnaz Rekabi, a 2021 mountaineering international championship bronze medalist, to forgo the scarf, or hijab, got here as protests sparked by way of the 16 September loss of life of a 22-year-old girl have entered a 5th week. Mahsa Amini was once detained by way of the rustic’s morality police over her clothes.
The Iranian Embassy in Seoul mentioned Rekabi, 33, left the rustic on Tuesday morning.
It has been reported that she was once because of depart on Wednesday, however that her departure was once introduced ahead by way of Iranian government.
The BBC’s Persian carrier, which has in depth contacts inside Iran in spite of being banned from running there, quoted an unnamed “informed source” who described Iranian officers as seizing each Rekabi’s cell phone and passport.
A brand new Instagram publish on an account attributed to Rekabi described her now not dressed in a hijab as “unintended,” though it wasn’t immediately clear whether or not she wrote the post under duress.
The Iranian government routinely pressures activists at home and abroad, often airing what rights groups describe as coerced confessions on state television.
IranWire, a website founded by an Iranian-Canadian journalist who once was detained by the regime, 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 last 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
Who is Iran’s first female climbing star, Elnaz Rekabi?
Elnaz Rekabi was already a recognised bouldering talent in her native Iran and across Asia before she broke onto the international World Cup scene in 2016.
With no national federation for support, Rekabi financed her own career and fought to try and overcome gender discrimination.
In a 2016 interview with Euronews, she said that friends would encourage her, and urged her to continue with the sport, “however it’s true that each time folks inquire from me about what I do they’re surprised,” she said.
“But on a favorable notice, it does assist different ladies to return out and follow this recreation.’‘
Another obstacle Rekabi highlighted that can sometimes get in the way of her climbing is the hijab she wears. However, she told Euronews that she was trying to work around it without compromising her religious belief.
‘‘At the beginning, it was a little bizarre for the other athletes, who were curious about a girl wearing a scarf on her head and an outfit that covered the arms and legs whilst competing inside in such a hot temperature.”
“For sure when it’s hot the hijab becomes a problem. During competition, your body needs to evacuate the heat. But we have tried to create an outfit ourselves that respects the hijab and is compatible with practising the sport of climbing.’‘
What happened during the Seoul competition?
Rekabi didn’t placed on a hijab all over Sunday’s ultimate on the International Federation of Sport Climbing’s Asia Championship, in keeping with the Seoul-based Korea Alpine Federation, the organisers of the development.
Federation officers mentioned Rekabi wore a hijab all over her preliminary appearances on the one-week mountaineering match. She wore only a black scarf when competing Sunday, her darkish hair pulled again in a ponytail; she had a white jersey with Iran’s flag as an emblem on it.
Rekabi was once a member of Iran’s 11-member delegation, which contains of 8 athletes and 3 coaches, to the development, in keeping with the federation.
Federation officers mentioned they weren’t to begin with acutely aware of Rekabi competing with out the hijab however regarded into the case after receiving inquiries about her. They mentioned the development doesn’t have any regulations on requiring feminine athletes dressed in or now not dressed in headscarves. However, Iranian ladies competing out of the country underneath the Iranian flag at all times put on the hijab.
In a observation, the International Federation of Sport Climbing mentioned that they had been involved with Rekabi, and “will continue to monitor the situation as it develops on her arrival”.
“It is important to stress that athlete safety is paramount for us and we support any efforts to keep a valued member of our community safe in this situation,” the federation mentioned, including that they “fully support” athletes’ alternatives and expressions of loose speech.
Rekabi has completed at the podium 3 times within the Asian Championships, taking one silver and two bronze medals for her efforts.
