Concern raised over Iranian climber who competed without hijab

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An Iranian competitive climber left South Korea on Tuesday after an event in which she climbed without her nation’s mandatory headscarf covering, authorities said. Farsi-language media outside of Iran warned she may have been forced to leave early by Iranian officials and could face arrest back home, which Tehran quickly denied.

The decision by Elnaz Rekabi to forgo the headscarf, or hijab, came in the fifth week of protests sparked by the Sept. 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, who had been detained by the country’s morality police over her clothing.

During her final bouldering event Sunday at the International Federation of Sport Climbing’s Asia Championship, Rekabi wore a headscarf. But about an hour later, when she came out for the lead-climbing event, she instead wore a black headband, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Federation officials said Rekabi wore a hijab during her previous appearances at the weeklong climbing event. Whereas most of the women wore shorts and tank tops while competing, she wore a long-sleeved shirt and tights.

An Instagram post, written in the first person, offered an apology on Rekabi’s behalf. It said she had been caught off guard by a call to come to the competition arena and didn’t have time to put on the hijab — although video of the event showed her apparently relaxed as she approached the wall.

The post also sought to describe her travel back to Iran on Tuesday as being “on schedule.” The BBC’s Persian service said she had been scheduled to return Wednesday and her flight was moved up unexpectedly.

BBC Persian, which has extensive contacts within Iran despite being banned from operating there, quoted an unnamed “informed source” as saying Iranian officials had seized Rekabi’s mobile phone and passport.

The Iranian government routinely pressures activists at home and abroad, often airing what rights group describe as coerced confessions on state television.

IranWire — a website founded by Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari, who once was detained by Iran — alleged that Rekabi would be immediately transferred to Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison after arriving in the country. Evin Prison was the site of a massive fire this weekend that killed at least eight prisoners.

In a tweet, the Iranian Embassy in Seoul denied “all the fake, false news and disinformation” regarding Rekabi’s departure on Tuesday. But instead of posting a photo of her from the Seoul competition, it posted an image of her wearing a headscarf at last year’s climbing world championships in Moscow, where she finished third in the combined event.

Calls to the Iranian Embassy in Seoul rang unanswered Tuesday.

Rekabi, 33, was one of eight Iranian athletes competing at the Asian championships. Her performances in the bouldering and lead-climbing disciplines qualified her for Sunday’s combined final, in which she finished fourth among the women.

“Our understanding is that she is returning to Iran, and we will continue to monitor the situation as it develops on her arrival,” the International Federation of Sport Climbing, which oversaw the event, said in a statement. “It is important to stress that athletes’ safety is paramount for us and we support any efforts to keep a valued member of our community safe in this situation.”

The federation said it had been in touch with both Rekabi and Iranian officials, but declined to elaborate on the substance of those calls when reached by The Associated Press. The federation also declined to discuss the Instagram post attributed to Rekabi and the claims in it.

The demonstrations over Amini’s death represent the most serious challenge to Iran’s theocracy since the mass protests surrounding its disputed 2009 presidential election.

So far, human rights groups estimate that over 200 people have been killed in the protests and the violent security force crackdown that followed. Iran has not offered a death toll in weeks. Demonstrations have been seen in over 100 cities, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. Thousands are believed to have been arrested.

Gathering information about the demonstrations remains difficult. Internet access has been disrupted for weeks by the Iranian government. Meanwhile, authorities have detained at least 40 journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Iranian officials have repeatedly alleged the country’s foreign enemies are behind the ongoing demonstrations, rather than Iranians angered by Amini’s death and the country’s other woes.

Iranians have seen their life savings evaporate; the country’s currency, the rial, plummeted and Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers has been reduced to tatters.