After landing, Reqabi gave a cautious, emotionless interview to Iran’s hardline state television, saying that going without a hijab was an “involuntary” act on her part. However, hundreds gathered outside Imam Khomeini International Airport – including women not wearing hijabs – and cheered for “Elnaz the Champion”, citing Rekabi as the inspiration for their ongoing protests. The future facing Recabi after returning home remains unclear. Supporters and media outside Iran have been concerned about Reqabi’s safety since her return, especially as activists say the protests have seen security forces arrest thousands so far. Later on Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee announced it had held a joint meeting with the International Sport Climbing Federation and Iranian officials. The IOC said it had received “clear assurances that Ms Recabi will not suffer any consequences and will continue to train and compete”. However, other athletes have faced harassment amid the protests. The IOC described Recabi as being with her family and said she was participating in a call with officials.
Recabi offers an explanation, describes the anxiety
Recabi’s appearance without a hijab while competing on Sunday came amid protests sparked by the September 16 death of a 22-year-old woman in custody that entered its fifth week. Mahsa Amini was arrested by the country’s morality police because of her clothes – and her death led to women removing their compulsory hijab in public. The protests, which have drawn school children, oil workers and others to the streets in more than 100 cities, represent the most serious challenge to Iran’s theocracy since the mass protests surrounding the disputed 2009 presidential election. The fact that Rekabi, 33, competed without her hijab in Seoul during the finals of the IAAF Asian Championships prompted an immediate embrace by supporters of the protests, which increasingly include calls for the overthrow of theocracy of the country. But sports in Iran, from soccer leagues to competitive Rekabi rock climbing, operate largely under a series of parastatal organizations. Female athletes competing at home or abroad, whether playing volleyball or track, are expected to keep their hair covered as a sign of piety. Iran, as well as Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban, make such head coverings mandatory for women. Iranian competitive climber Elnaz Rekabi speaks to reporters at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran on Wednesday in a picture taken from a video by Iran’s state news agency IRNA. (IRNA/The Associated Press) That made Recabi’s public appearance on Sunday at the Asian Championship final a lightning bolt. Landing at Imam Khomeini International Airport early Wednesday, she wore a black baseball cap and a black hood covering her hair. A man gave her flowers. Rekabi, upon landing in Iran, repeated an explanation posted earlier on an Instagram account in her name, saying that not wearing a hijab was “unintentional”. The Iranian government regularly cracks down on activists at home and abroad, often airing what rights groups describe as coerced confessions on state television — the same cameras she addressed upon her arrival home. Recabi said she was in a women-only waiting area before her climb. “Because I was busy with my shoes and equipment, it made me forget to wear my hijab and then I went to compete,” she said. And he continued: “I returned to Iran calmly, although I had a lot of tension and anxiety. But so far, thank God, nothing has happened.” WATCHES | Protests in Iran could spark lasting change:
Protests over the death of Mahsa Amini threaten the Iranian regime
Mass protests over Mahsa Amini’s death in Iranian police custody could create lasting change, analysts say. The sport’s federation said it had been in contact with both Rekabi and Iranian officials, but declined to elaborate on the substance of those calls when reached by The Associated Press. “We understand that she is returning to Iran and will continue to monitor the situation as it develops upon her arrival,” the International Sport Climbing Federation, which oversaw the event, said in a statement. “It is important to emphasize that athlete safety is of the utmost importance to us and we support every effort to keep a valued member of our community safe in this situation.”
Jolie to chair meeting on women’s rights in Iran
So far, human rights groups estimate that more than 200 people have been killed in the protests over Amini’s death and the brutal crackdown by security forces that followed. Iran has not provided a death toll for weeks. Protests have taken place in more than 100 cities, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. Thousands are believed to have been arrested. Protesters holding fistfuls of their hair after cutting it themselves chanted slogans during a rally to support Rekabi outside the Iranian embassy in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday. (Ahn Young-joon/The Associated Press) However, gathering information on the protests remains difficult. Internet access has been cut off for weeks by the Iranian government. Meanwhile, authorities have arrested at least 40 journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Meanwhile, the Canadian government announced that Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly will chair a virtual meeting Thursday with counterparts from around the world that will hear from women of Iranian heritage and discuss the state of women’s rights in Iran. “This week, my counterparts and I will come together to send a clear message: the Iranian regime must end all forms of violence and persecution against the Iranian people, including violent attacks against women in particular. Canada will continue to stand with the courageous Iranians fighting for their human rights and defending their mothers, sisters, wives and daughters. Women’s rights are human rights.” On Wednesday, a small group of protesters demonstrated in front of Iran’s embassy in Seoul, with some women slicing off the bangs from their hair, like others in protests around the world since Amini’s death.
