Worry grows for Iran athlete Elnaz Rekabi who competed without her hijab
- 33-year-old medallist had been taking part in South Korea climbing event but did not wear Iran’s compulsory headscarf in Sunday’s final
- There are reports Rekabi left Seoul early, at a time Iran is still seeing protests sparked by death of Mahsa Amini, detained over her clothing
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 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 medallist in competitions, to forgo the headscarf, or hijab, came as protests sparked by the September 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.
A later Instagram post on an account attributed to Rekabi, 33, described her not wearing a hijab as “unintentional”, although it was not 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.