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There are considerations for the wellbeing of Iranian sport climber Elna Rekabi, after she competed at an occasion in South Korea with out her nation’s necessary headband masking.
Key factors:
- Elnaz Rekabi normally competes with a scarf masking her hair, as is necessary for Iranian feminine athletes
- She selected to not put on the headband throughout the ultimate of a high-profile climbing occasion in South Korea
- The BBC is reporting Rekabi’s cellphone and passport have been seized and her associates can’t contact her
Rekabi left South Korea on Tuesday after coming fourth on the occasion, authorities stated.
Farsi-language media outdoors of Iran warned she could have been compelled to depart early by Iranian officers and confronted arrest again dwelling.
The choice by Rekabi, a a number of medallist in varied competitions, to forgo the headband, or hijab, got here as protests sparked by the September 16 demise in custody of 22-year-old girl Mahsa Amini entered their fifth week.
Ms Amini was detained by the nation’s morality police over her clothes.
The demonstrations, drawing school-aged kids, oil employees and others to the road, symbolize probably the most critical problem to Iran’s theocracy because the mass protests surrounding its disputed 2009 presidential election.
Rights teams say a whole lot of individuals have been killed as authorities crack down on the protests. Amnesty Worldwide says not less than 23 kids have died.
Cellphone and passport reportedly seized
Rekabi left Seoul on a Tuesday morning flight, the Iranian embassy in South Korea stated. 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 stated she initially had been scheduled to return on Wednesday, however her flight apparently had been moved up unexpectedly.
The BBC additionally stated associates of Rekabi had not been capable of contact her since she competed.
IranWire, one other web site specializing in the nation based by Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari, who was as soon as detained by Iran, alleged that Rekabi could be instantly transferred to Tehran’s infamous Evin Jail after arriving within the nation.
Evin Jail was the location of an enormous fireplace this weekend that killed not less than eight prisoners.
In a tweet, the Iranian embassy in Seoul denied “all of the pretend, false information and disinformation” concerning Rekabi’s departure on Tuesday.
However as an alternative of posting a photograph of her from the Seoul competitors, it posted a picture of her sporting a scarf at a earlier competitors in Moscow, the place she additionally took a bronze medal.
Calls to the Iranian embassy in Seoul went unanswered on Tuesday.
Rekabi usually competes with hijab
Rekabi did not placed on a hijab throughout Sunday’s ultimate on the Worldwide Federation of Sport Climbing’s Asian Championships, in line with the Seoul-based Korean Alpine Federation, the organisers of the occasion.
Federation officers stated Rekabi wore a hijab, as she usually does, throughout her preliminary appearances on the one-week climbing occasion.
The occasion would not have any guidelines on requiring feminine athletes to put on or not put on headscarves. Nevertheless, Iranian girls competing overseas beneath the Iranian flag all the time put on the hijab.
The Worldwide Federation of Sport Climbing launched an announcement on Tuesday saying it was “totally conscious” of the tales about Rekabi’s scenario and it was making an attempt to ascertain the information.
“Now we have additionally been in touch with Ms Rekabi and the Iranian Climbing Federation,” the assertion stated.
“Our understanding is that she is returning to Iran, and we are going to proceed to watch the scenario because it develops on her arrival.
“It is very important stress that athletes’ security is paramount for us and we help any efforts to maintain a valued member of our neighborhood secure on this scenario.
“The IFSC totally help the rights of athletes, their selections, and expression of free speech.”
Rekabi, 33, has completed on the rostrum thrice within the Asian Championships, taking one silver and two bronze medals for her efforts.
Athletes talking out to again protests
Australian Olympic climbing consultant Oceania Mackenzie labelled Rekabi “a hero” on Instagram, and was certainly one of quite a few folks inside the climbing neighborhood who praised her bravery.
Additionally it is not the primary time athletes have used their platforms in latest months to protest the remedy of ladies in Iran and help the demonstrations there.
Razieh Janbaz, a star of the Iranian handball group, resigned from the nationwide set-up over the problem, whereas Iranian-born Australian footballer Daniel Arzani held up a shirt with Amini’s title on it after scoring for Melbourne Metropolis of their A-League win over Adelaide on the weekend.
ABC/AP
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