What happened to the Iranian athlete, Naz Ragabi, who participated without a headscarf

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Since Monday, there have been serious concerns about the conditions of Iranian athlete Al-Naz Ragabi who participated in the Asian Climbing Championships in Seoul, South Korea on Sunday, which attracted a lot of attention because he decided to compete without wearing Islamic dress. Hijab.Iranian women They are required to wear Even when they participate in sports competitions.

Tuesday morning BBC He had written, citing sources familiar with the facts, that Rikabi’s passport would be stolen and that his family and friends had not heard from him for several hours. Iran WireAn independent newspaper run by Iranian dissidents wrote that Rikabi would be detained at the Seoul embassy for her gesture, and that she would soon be repatriated and imprisoned. Over the course of Tuesday morning posted my passengers Story on his Instagram account In which he said that he was returning to Iran with the rest of the Iranian national team and apologized for not wearing the Islamic headscarf: In the story, Rikabi says that he did not wear it because of an unspecified problem and because his climb arrived without it. getting ready. However, there are many doubts about the veracity of Rekabi’s words, and it is suspected that his apology was written under duress because of the great resonance his gesture made.

33-year-old Elnaz Rekabi is a famous athlete in her sport, the bronze medalist of the 2021 World Climbing Championships. In competitions, she has so far used the Islamic headscarf (or hijab) Modified specifically for sports: However, she competed on Sunday without a headscarf, according to many to protest her country’s system like many women do. They have been doing for weeks in Iran. In the end, she took fourth place, but the video of her mentions was shared by many people on social networks as an example of the women’s protest and liberation movement, and newspapers around the world commented on it.

She was scheduled to leave Rakabi on Monday morning with the rest of her team for Iran, but there were other news about her on Monday evening. On Tuesday, a source familiar with the facts, who asked not to be identified, told the Persian version of BBC The passenger’s passport and cell phone will be removed.

Iran Wire, The website, run by opponents of the regime in Iran, had written that Naz Rekabi would be driven to the headquarters of the Iranian embassy in Seoul by the head of the country’s climbing federation, Reza Zari, on the orders of the head of the Iranian Olympic Committee. Muhammed Khosraffava. Once she arrives, she will be informed of her brother’s arrest in Iran, and persuaded to hand over her passport and cell phone with a promise to return safely to Iran and release her brother. According to sources Iran WireOnce she returns to Iran, Rakabi can be imprisoned.

Motivated by Rikabi’s challenge, activists and users on social media praised her move and described it as a “very strong statement” that could cause serious repercussions for her. Many people on social media are also organizing a huge gathering to welcome her.https://t.co/F2tltQ6vUq pic.twitter.com/Ww8VCtVZzN

– Iran International English (IranIntl_En) October 17 2022