Iranian competitive climber Elnaz Rekabi was greeted in Tehran on Wednesday by large, cheering crowds in support of the athlete who competed in South Korea without wearing a mandatory headscarf.
Rekabi, 33, was met by hordes of reporters and admirers at the Imam Khomeini international airport, many of whom applauded, chanted her name and called her a hero.
All female athletes from the Islamic Republic are required to wear a hijab during competitive sports and international appearances. On Sunday, Rekabi competed in Seoul wearing just a black headband with her dark hair tied in a ponytail. Iran’s flag was emblazoned across her shirt.
Supporters of Rekabi believe she actively chose not to wear the headscarf in response to intense protests in Iran following the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by Iran’s morality police. Amini was accused of breaking a morality law that requires women to wear a headscarf, cover their arms and legs and wear loose clothing.
The demonstrations, drawing school-age children, oil workers and others to the streets in over 100 cities across the nation, represent the most serious challenge to Iran’s theocracy since the mass protests surrounding its disputed 2009 presidential election. Many Iranian women have since removed their government mandated hijabs in public.
At the airport, Rekabi maintained to reporters that not wearing a hijab in Seoul was “unintentional.” A statement allegedly from Rekabi was posted to social media this week where she claimed she “forgot” to wear her hijab after leaving a women’s-only waiting area prior to her competition.
Rekabi appeared at the Imam Khomeini International Airport wearing a ballcap and hoodie to cover her hair.
The Iranian government routinely pressures activists at home and abroad, often airing what rights group describe as coerced confessions on state television — the same cameras she addressed on her arrival back home.
“I came back to Iran with peace of mind, although I had a lot of tension and stress. But so far, thank God, nothing has happened,” Rekabi told reporters at the airport.
Rekabi then entered a van that drove past the excitable crowds surrounding the airport.
The BBC’s Persian news service claimed Iranian officials had confiscated Rekabi’s phone and passport while in Seoul. The Iranian embassy disputed this, claiming the allegation was “all fake news, lies and false information.”
On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee, who met with International Federation of Sport Climbing and Iranian officials, said there were “clear assurances that Ms Rekabi will not suffer any consequences and will continue to train and compete.”
The International Olympic Committee claimed Rekabi is currently at home with her family.
So far, human rights groups estimate that over 200 people have been killed in the weeks-long protests and the violent security force crackdown that followed. Iran has not offered a death toll in weeks, and thousands are believed to have been arrested.
In Canada, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly plans to host a virtual meeting with other women foreign ministers to hear from women of Iranian heritage.
“This week, my counterparts and I will gather to send a clear message: The Iranian regime must end all forms of violence and persecution against the Iranian people, including their brutal aggression against women in particular,” Joly said in a statement.
— With files from The Associated Press