Iranian climatist Elnaz Rekabi, who was greeted like a hero by her compatriots at Tehran airport on Wednesday after competing in the Asian Climbing Championships without a hijab, has been placed under house arrest.
According to BBC Persian, citing an “informed source”, Rekabi was pressured into a “forced confession” after returning from South Korea, where the match took place, and did not return home after landing in the Iranian capital.
“She stayed at the National Olympic Academy under the supervision of the plainclothes police until she met the minister,” the source said, referring to Sports Minister Hamid Sajjadi.
Rekabi was threatened with the seizure of 100 million rials (about €315,000) of her family’s property unless she made the “forced confession”.
This Friday, a New York-based human rights organization called on the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) to do more to protect it.
Some friends tried to contact Rekabi after the athlete returned to Tehran, but were unable to reach her.
the news portal Iran Wire said the president of the Iranian Climbing Federation tricked her into entering the Iranian embassy in Seoul and promising safe passage to Iran if she surrendered her phone and passport.
Elnaz Rekabi, 33, finished fourth in the competition in Seoul on Sunday when he played in the final with his hair down after competing in the qualifiers wearing the traditional Muslim headscarf.
The athlete’s gesture was seen as a show of support for Iranian women who protested the mandatory use of the hijab for a month after Mahsa Amini’s death on September 13, after being detained for not respecting women’s dress codes.
The 22-year-old Kurdish girl died three days after she was arrested by the vice squad in Tehran for allegedly violating these laws of the Islamic Republic, especially the use of the veil.
On Tuesday, the Iranian government had denied that the athlete had been detained and forced to return to the country after the match, despite the Iranian embassy in South Korea confirming the flight during the day.
That same day, Elnaz Rekabi twice apologized to the Iranians, claiming that his hijab had been accidentally moved.
According to AFP news agency, human rights activists in the Islamic country said these statements could have been made under pressure.
“Elnaz is a heroine,” shouted dozens of people gathered outside the Tehran airport on Wednesday morning to greet the young woman with fervor and applause as they held up cell phones to film her arrival.
The climatist left the airport facilities in a van, in front of a crowd in which many women were without veils.
“It was a welcome worthy of a heroine, partly also provided by women without the obligatory veil, outside the airport. However, concerns for their safety remain,” warned the non-governmental organization Center for Human Rights in Iran, headquartered in Iran. the country.
Elnaz Rekabi wore a black hooded jacket and cap and was welcomed by her family before speaking to the media.
“In the final I had to leave before I was ready, I confused my technical equipment (…). So I did not pay attention to the scarf I should have used. I returned to Iran in peace, in perfect health and like I apologize to the Iranian people for the tensions created,” Elnaz Rekabi reiterated.
Sport has become a sensitive topic in Iran since the death of Mahsa Amini, with several practitioners demonstrating for women’s rights, including FC Porto striker Mehdi Taremi.
Source: DN
