New Delhi: Iranian athlete Elnaz Rekabi, who reportedly went missing after participating in an international event in Seoul without a hijab, offered an apology saying that she had competed without a hijab accidentally. An Instagram story posted on Rekabi’s account on Tuesday read, “Due to inappropriate timing, and an unpredictable call for me to climb the wall, there was accidentally a problem with my head cover”. The post also mentioned she will be flying back to Iran “according to the pre-arranged schedule,” and apologised for the “concerns created,” reported news agency ANI.
Videos on social media have emerged showing the crowd cheering and chanting “Elnaz is a heroine” after she arrived in Tehran amid speculations that she would get prosecuted on her return. The video shows the professional climber receiving a rousing welcome from thousands of people on the streets on Wednesday.
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A report in People Magazine said Rekabi will be jailed by Iranian authorities. The report that quoted an Iranian news organisation said the climber violated laws drafted after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that mandate all Iranian women to wear hijabs.
The 33-year-old player took part in the Asian Sport Climbing Championships in Seoul on Sunday without a headscarf and went missing on Tuesday, reported BBC Persian.
Her public appearance without a headscarf or hijab was seen as a sign of solidarity following the women-led protests in Iran since September.
“This is an act of terror; forced confession -Elnaz Rekabi refused forced hijab while competing in Seoul; Her phone & passport was confiscated by the Islamic Republic; She has gone missing; Elnaz returned to Iran & announced: not wearing the hijab was not intentional,” tweeted Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and activist.
This is how Iranians are welcoming #ElnazRekabi at 3:45 am in Tehran.
Khamenei once announced that for Iranian female athletes hijab is more important than medals.
By refusing forced hijab Elnaz humiliated Khamenei. #Mehsa_Amini #Alnaz_Rakabi
pic.twitter.com/CLOOhJ1Z1P— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) October 19, 2022
Dismissing the reports of her disappearance as ‘false news and disinformation’, the Iranian embassy in Seoul tweeted a photo of Rekabi departing the country with her head covered.
However, instead of posting a photo of her from the Seoul competition, it posted an image of her wearing a headscarf at a previous competition in Moscow, where she also won a bronze medal.
Iran has witnessed massive protests across the country sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police of Iran after being arrested for allegedly breaching the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women. She died three days after going into a coma following her arrest in Tehran.
According to an Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group, over 100 people have died since the protests began in September. During demonstrations, several women burnt their headscarves and cut their hair.