Daily Times

A human rights group called Friday for Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi to be protected after she was reportedly placed under house arrest for competing abroad without a hijab. Rekabi competed last weekend in South Korea without wearing a headscarf, which is mandatory in Iran and a subject of nationwide protests after the death Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the country’s notorious “morality police”.

Citing an “informed source”, BBC Persian said Rekabi had been put under pressure to make a “forced confession” after her return Wednesday from the Asian Championships in sports climbing in Seoul. The 33-year-old was given a hero’s welcome on her return to Tehran by supporters who raucously applauded her action, but the source told BBC Persian that she did not go home after arriving at the airport. “She was held at the national Olympics academy under the watch of plainclothes officers until she met the minister,” it said, referring to Sports Minister Hamid Sajjadi. Rekabi had been threatened with the seizure of 100 million rials ($312,000) worth of her family’s property unless she made the “forced confession”, the source was quoted as saying.

On Friday, a New York-based human rights group called on the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) to do more to protect her. IFSC “should engage with rights organisations to protect pro climber #ElnazRekabi and all Iranian athletes”, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said on Twitter. “Don’t take the government in Iran’s word at face value — it has a documented history of detaining, maiming and killing those who oppose it.” Fears had been raised about the fate of Rekabi after friends had reportedly been unable to contact her following the end of her involvement in the competition in Seoul.

News website Iran Wire said the head of Iran’s climbing federation had “tricked” her into entering the Iranian embassy in Seoul, promising her safe passage to Iran if she handed over her phone and passport. Upon her return to Tehran, Rekabi apologised over what happened and insisted her hijab headscarf had accidentally slipped off. But activists expressed fears at the time that her comments had been made under pressure from Iranian authorities. Iran Wire tweeted on Friday that she “did not go home from the airport and instead was whisked — not to her home or family — but to meetings with Iran’s Minister of Sports”.