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The Iranian sportswoman Elnaz Rekabi, who had participated without a veil in the Asian climbing championships in South Korea, returned to Tehran on Wednesday October 19, greeted like a hero by her supporters at the airport.
Elnaz Rekabi, 33, arrived at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, according to a video released by Iran’s official Irna news agency. ” Elnaz is a heroine “, shouted dozens of people massed in front of the airport terminal to welcome the young woman to applause and cheers, brandishing cell phones to film the scene.
« I apologize to the Iranian people for the tensions created »
Dressed in a black hooded jacket and wearing a cap and a light scarf hiding her hair, reports our correspondent in Tehran, Siavosh Ghazi, Elnaz Rekabi was greeted in the terminal by her relatives, before addressing the media. ” Due to the climate during the finals of the competition and the fact that I was called to start when I was not expecting it, I found myself entangled in my technical equipment. (…). To because of that, I didn’t pay attention to the scarf I should have worn “, she said.
« I returned to Iran in peace, in perfect health and according to the planned program. I apologize to the Iranian people for the tensions created “, she said, adding that she did not have” the intention to say goodbye to the national team ».
The crowd, including women not wearing the veil, then surrounded a white van and a car where the sportswoman and members of her team would have been seated, who left the airport, still to applause, for a destination unknown.
In participation in the competition without a veil with a jersey in the colors of Iran, wearing only a bandana, had been interpreted as a gesture of solidarity with the demonstrations sparked a month ago by the death of the young Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini after his arrest by the vice squad. The Islamic Republic indeed imposes on Iranian sportswomen the wearing of the veil even in competitions abroad.
It gets worse. @IranWireEnglish also posted on their Persian language website that Elnaz Rekabi’s brother, Davood Rekabi (a fellow climbing champ), was also arrested and interrogated by IRGC intelligence because of her act of civil disobedience. https://t.co/Kc9d0wLkKt
— Holly Dagres (@hdagres) October 18, 2022
The day before, the sportswoman had presented on her Instagram account, with more than 200,000 subscribers, “ apologies for the worry » that she was able to cause and assured that the decision to remove her veil was « not intentional » but motivated by the call to carry out the test earlier than planned.
Human rights defenders outside Iran had expressed concern over her fate, with several of her friends saying they could not reach her. The Iranian embassy in Seoul had denied all the fake news and misinformation about her situation and claimed that she left South Korea with her teammates on Tuesday. On social networks, several messages announced that his brother would have been arrested by the Iranian authorities.
The Climbing Champion #Elnaz_Rekabi received a hero’s welcome by a crowd at Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran tonight after removing her veil in competition in Seoul. It is to be feared that she will be heavily sanctioned for this gesture. #Iran pic.twitter.com/ojKunuAsIv
— Armin Arefi (@arminarefi) October 19, 2022
Several renowned Iranian sportswomen have spoken out in favor of women’s rights
The competition, where she placed fourth, took place on Sunday October 17, a month to the day after the death of Mahsa Amini, arrested on September 13 in Tehran by the morality police who accused her of having broken the dress code. strict rules of the Islamic Republic for women, notably providing for the wearing of the veil.
His death on September 16 sparked a wave of protests across the country. These continue a month later despite the crackdown which has left at least 122 dead, according to a report by the NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), based in Oslo, while hundreds of people have been arrested.
Since these demonstrations, several renowned Iranian sportswomen have spoken out in favor of women’s rights. Famous footballers have also come under fire for comments about the move, such as soccer legend Ali Daei, who had his passport briefly confiscated.
(and with AFP)