Iranian aggressive climber Elnaz Rekabi obtained a hero’s welcome on her return to Tehran early Wednesday, after competing in South Korea with out sporting a compulsory scarf required of feminine athletes from the Islamic Republic.
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Rekabi’s determination to not put on the hijab whereas competing Sunday comes as protests sparked by the Sept. 16 dying in custody of a 22-year-old girl have entered a fifth week. Mahsa Amini was detained by the nation’s morality police over her clothes — and her dying has seen girls eradicating their necessary hijabs in public.
The demonstrations, drawing school-age kids, oil employees and others to the road in over 100 cities, symbolize probably the most critical problem to Iran’s theocracy for the reason that mass protests surrounding its disputed 2009 presidential election.
Supporters and Farsi-language media outdoors of Iran have fearful about Rekabi’s security after she select to compete with out the hijab.
An Instagram put up Tuesday on an account attributed to Rekabi described her not sporting a hijab as “unintentional,” although it wasn’t instantly clear whether or not she wrote the put up or what situation she was in on the time. The Iranian authorities routinely pressures activists at dwelling and overseas, typically airing what rights group describe as coerced confessions on state tv.
Video shared on-line confirmed massive crowds gathered early Wednesday at Imam Khomeini Worldwide Airport outdoors of Tehran, the sanctioned nation’s foremost gateway overseas. The movies, akin to identified options of the airport, confirmed crowds chanting the 33-year-old Rekabi’s identify and calling her a hero.
She walked into one of many airport’s terminals, filmed by state tv cameras and sporting a black baseball cap and a black hoodie overlaying her hair. She obtained flowers from an onlooker, after which repeated what had been posted on Instagram that not sporting the hijab was “unintentional” and her journey had been as beforehand deliberate.
Rekabi described being in a girls’s solely ready space previous to her climb.
“As a result of I used to be busy placing on my sneakers and my gear, it brought about me to neglect to placed on my hijab after which I went to compete,” she mentioned.
She added: “I got here again to Iran with peace of thoughts though I had a variety of pressure and stress. However to date, thank God, nothing has occurred.”
Outdoors, she apparently entered a van and slowly was pushed by the gathered crowd, who cheered her. It wasn’t clear the place she went after that.
Rekabi left Seoul on a Tuesday morning flight. The BBC’s Persian service, which has intensive contacts inside Iran regardless of being banned from working there, quoted an unnamed “knowledgeable supply” who described Iranian officers as seizing each Rekabi’s cell phone and passport.
BBC Persian additionally mentioned she initially had been scheduled to return on Wednesday, however her flight apparently had been moved up unexpectedly.
IranWire, one other web site specializing in the nation based by Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari who as soon as was detained by Iran, alleged that Rekabi can be instantly transferred to Tehran’s infamous Evin Jail after arriving within the nation. Evin Jail was the location of an enormous fireplace this previous weekend that killed at the very least eight prisoners.
In a tweet, the Iranian Embassy in Seoul denied “all of the faux, false information and disinformation” concerning Rekabi’s departure. However as an alternative of posting a photograph of her from the Seoul competitors, it posted a picture of her sporting a headband at a earlier competitors in Moscow, the place she took a bronze medal.
Rekabi didn’t placed on a hijab throughout Sunday’s closing on the Worldwide Federation of Sport Climbing’s Asia Championship.
Federation officers mentioned Rekabi wore a hijab throughout her preliminary appearances on the one-week climbing occasion. She wore only a black headband when competing Sunday, her darkish hair pulled again in a ponytail; she had a white jersey with Iran’s flag as a brand on it.
Footage of the competitors confirmed Rekabi relaxed as she approached the climbing and after she competed.
Iranian girls competing overseas below the Iranian flag all the time put on the hijab.
“Our understanding is that she is returning to Iran, and we’ll proceed to watch the scenario because it develops on her arrival,” the Worldwide Federation of Sport Climbing, which oversaw the occasion, mentioned in an announcement. “You will need to stress that athletes’ security is paramount for us and we assist any efforts to maintain a valued member of our neighborhood secure on this scenario.”