Iranian rights groups fear for her safety following her apparent display of support for the protest movement in Iran.
Elnaz Rekabi, the Iranian rock climber who participated in a tournament in Seoul without wearing a hijab, is on her way back to Tehran, where some fear that she might face punishment for defying the Iranian regime amid historic anti-government protests sparked by the brutal enforcement of mandatory hijab-wearing.
Rekabi’s case got more complicated earlier today, as a message posted to her Instagram account, purporting to represent the 33-year-old athlete, said that she climbed without the head covering only because it fell off due to “poor scheduling,” according to Reuters.
It’s unclear whether Rekabi posted the message herself, or whether she was coerced into doing so. As NBC’s writeup of the situation notes, she is pictured competing with a headband and a ponytail.
That statement went up as she returned from the sporting event in the South Korean capital, with Iranian rights groups fearing for her safety following the apparent display of support for the protest movement in Iran.
Elnaz Rekabi and other members of the Iranian climbing team are returning to Iran. Their flight has arrived in Doha, Qatar, and will head to Tehran tonight, according to a document obtained by @IranIntl.
She's expected to arrive at Tehran's Khomeini Airport at 3:40 am, Wednesday.— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) October 18, 2022
The Instagram post stated that Rekabi is returning to Iran with the rest of her team, on schedule.
The theocratic government is facing one of the fiercest protest campaigns against its rule in decades, as protesters have taken to the streets in the wake of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police. Witnesses say that she was beaten in a police van following her arrest for improperly wearing a hijab.
BBC Persian reported that after Rekabi competed on Monday, friends weren’t able to get in touch with her. There were also reports that Rekabi’s passport had been confiscated, per Iran International, though the Iranian embassy in Seoul denied that she had been subject to any travel restrictions.
Tehran has previously targeted female athletes for declining to wear a hijab. Sadef Khadem, an Iranian boxer who in 2019 competed in an event abroad without the headscarf, was threatened with arrest in Tehran. She now lives in France in exile.
Khadem managed to slip by the Iranian authorities, but Rekabi, apparently, has had no such luck. IranWire reported that Rekabi was tricked into going to the Iranian embassy in Seoul and that she will be sent to Iran’s infamous Evin prison upon her return to the country.