Hijab heroine rock climber vanishes AGAIN
Hijab heroine rock climber vanishes AGAIN after arriving back in Iran to cheering crowds: Fears for athlete after she was forced to make ‘apology’ and say her headscarf had ‘slipped’
- Fears are growing for Elnaz Rekabi, 33, who competed without hijab in Seoul
- It was promised she could return to family when she came back to Iran
- But she met briefly with family and was then whisked off to meet officials
- She did interviews which will be broadcast in the coming days
- Her safety and freedom reportedly cannot be guaranteed
An Iranian rock climber who competed without a hijab during a competition in South Korea has vanished again after arriving back in Iran to cheering crowds.
It was speculated that Elnaz Rekabi, 33, competed without a hijab in solidarity with Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody for not wearing a headscarf.
Protests have swept Iran in the wake of Mahsa’s death and continue to, as people express their outrage.
Rekabi went missing after the Federation of Sport Climbing Asian Championships on Sunday in South Korea.
Elnaz was promised that she could return to her family after she flew back from South Korea yesterday and was given a hero’s welcome by crowds supporting anti-hijab protests.
But instead, she met briefly with her family but was then whisked away for interviews with government officials.
The interviews were followed by a meeting and photo session with Hamid Sajjadi, Minister of Sports and Youth of the Islamic Republic.
In the photographs, Elnaz wears a black baseball cap and hoodie, tracksuit bottoms and trainers.
Next to her in the photo is her brother, Dawood Rekabi, who is also a rock climber and is seen wearing a yellow t-shirt.
Elnaz was reportedly forced to give TV interviews while she was there which will be broadcast in the coming days.
It has been speculated that these interviews will be used to show that she is happy when in fact she is not free and her safety cannot be guaranteed.
She has not been seen in public since she arrived back in Iran yesterday and is missing again.
Fears are growing for Elnaz Rekabi, 33, pictured, who was forced to make an apology and say that her headscarf had slipped
Although the president of Iran’s national Olympic committee, Mr Khosravi Vafa, said Elnaz Rekabi, 33, will not be punished for not wearing the headscarf, her supporters remain worried for her because other athletes have been targeted for supporting the current protests in Iran.
But the International Olympic Committee described Rekabi on Wednesday as having ‘returned to Iran safely and with her family’.
Mr Vafa, however, described Rekabi as being ‘a guest at Iran’s Olympic committee hotel for one day, along with her family’.
It was not clear if Rekabi had a choice over the stay.
Mr Khosravi Vafa said Rekabi would return to her hometown on Thursday.
Instead, she met briefly with her family but was then whisked away for interviews with government officials. The interviews were followed by a meeting and photo session with Hamid Sajjadi, Minister of Sports and Youth of the Islamic Republic, pictured third from right
And Mr Vafa said that Rekabi will not be punished or suspended for competing in Korea without a headscarf.
Mr Vafa said there was no reason to take disciplinary measures against Rekabi because not wearing a headscarf, or hijab, was an ‘unintentional’ act on her part.
An Instagram account associated with Rekabi also described the decision as ‘unintentional’, a claim she repeated after reaching Tehran early on Wednesday.
She blamed being rushed to compete, though a video of her climb Sunday showed her relaxed and waving to the crowd.
Mr Vafa said: ‘It’s a small issue. I’m surprised that it is being talked about so much.’
This comes despite protests over the mandatory hijab reaching more than 100 cities in Iran so far.
‘In our view it was not a big issue.’
Mr Vafa added that he discussed Rekabi with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly in Seoul.
He said he spoke personally to Rekabi as well.
‘I talked to her and told her that you definitely are very talented in sports and you should continue down this path to maybe qualify for the Paris Olympics and you’ll be fully supported by the Iranian Olympic committee,’ he added.
Elnaz was reportedly forced to give TV interviews while she was there which will be broadcast in the coming days. It has been speculated that these interviews will be used to show that she is happy when in fact she is not free and her safety cannot be guaranteed. Pictured: Elnaz after the championships
When asked whether he discussed the issue with Iranian delegates, Robin Mitchell, a Fijian sports official who was elected the new president of the Association of National Olympic Committees at the assembly on Thursday, said they had not spoken.
He also indicated he was not aware the Iranians were at the meetings.
Mr Khosravi Vafa did not specifically address suspicions that Iranian authorities confiscated Rekabi’s passport after the event in Seoul and forced her to leave early.
The second vanishing comes after she was welcomed at the airport by a cheering crowd who said ‘thank you’ and ‘proud of you.’ Her hero’s welcome came even though she had given a stony-faced interview to state-controlled Iranian television in which she said she had made a ‘mistake’, pictured
Rekabi disappeared for the first time after she appeared without a hijab in the climbing contest in Seoul.
She was yesterday greeted at the airport by a cheering crowd who said ‘thank you’ and ‘proud of you’ but has not appeared in public again since a meeting with sports chiefs in Iran.
The cheers from the crowds came even though she had given a stony-faced interview to state-controlled Iranian television in which she said she had made a ‘mistake.’
BBC Persia’s Rana Rahimpour said that the language used looked like it had been written under duress.
Rekabi on Wednesday also repeated an explanation posted earlier to an Instagram account in her name that described her not wearing a hijab as ‘unintentional.’
BBC Persia’s Rana Rahimpour said that the language used looked like it had been written under duress
Elnaz is reportedly the only second female athlete to compete without a hijab and shun Iran’s strict policy.
In a statement on Twitter on Tuesday, the Iranian Embassy wrote: ‘Ms. Elnaz REKABI, departed from Seoul to Iran, early morning of October 18, 2022, along with the other members of the Team.
‘The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in South Korea strongly denies all the fake, false news and disinformation regarding Ms. Elnaz REKABI.’
Elnaz is reportedly the only second female athlete to compete without a hijab, pictured, and shun Iran’s strict policy.
Other Iranian sportswomen who competed without a headscarf had also been under pressure to apologise, it was revealed.
As a result, some of them decided not to come back home.
Protests are continuing to grip Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody for not wearing a hijab.
The protests in Iran are ongoing and, according to the non-profit Iran Human Rights, at least 201 people, including 28 children, have been killed so far, according to its latest figures released on 12th October.
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