Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi’s family home was reportedly demolished.
Rekabi, 33, broke Iran’s mandatory dress code when she bareheaded a rock climbing competition in South Korea last October. But Elnaz later apologized for the fact that her handkerchief fell “unintentionally”. The BBC has learned that Rickaby’s apology was “forced”. Rikabi has become a hero in the eyes of many in Iran at a time when demonstrations against the compulsory headscarf have swept the country.
Recently, a video clip was circulated on social media showing the aftermath of the destruction of the Rekabi family’s home, including the sports medals received by the sports heroine. Anti-government activists in Iran have criticized the scene of the Rekabi family’s house being demolished, saying it was an act of revenge, though it is not clear when the video of the house being demolished was filmed.
The semi-official news agency Tasnim later confirmed the news of the demolition of the Elnaz Rekabi family’s home, but said the demolition was due to the family’s lack of legal building permits. All this happened before Elnaz Rikabi entered the South Korean pageant in October, Tasneem said, without a hijab.
Iranian authorities oblige female citizens to cover their heads with a scarf or hijab, as well as cover their arms and legs with loose clothing. Iranian female athletes are required to comply with this dress code when representing Iran in sports competitions abroad.
At the Tehran airport after the end of the South Korean contest, large crowds greeted Elnaz Rekabi upon her return from South Korea, calling her a “heroine”. When she arrived, she was not wearing a headscarf, but a black baseball cap and a hoodie pinned to her robe. The next day, Rekabi met the Iranian sports minister in the same uniform she had worn at the airport, raising suspicions that she had not made it home.
A source told the BBC that Rekabi was kept in a room inside the building of the National Olympic Committee of Iran and kept in civilian clothes until the minister’s arrival. The day before returning to Iran, Rikabi apologized in a post on her Instagram account for causing “everyone’s concern” and explained, “Due to bad timing and an unexpected call to climb the wall (during the competition), my headscarf fell off . turn off unintentionally.
However, a source told the BBC that Iranian authorities had threatened to confiscate the property of Elnaz Rekabi’s family if she did not make a statement. Meanwhile, prominent Iranian actress Mitra Hajjar was reportedly released on bail after authorities arrested her while trying to quell anti-government protests. Mitra Hajjar has been speaking out against the government for years. He previously condemned the execution of activist Ruhollah Zam, who documented the 2019 mass demonstrations online.
