The climber may have been forced to leave South Korea early and faces being arrested and immediately transferred to prison when she returns home, according to reports denied by Tehran.
Wednesday 19 October 2022 09:19, UK
Concerns are mounting for Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi, who took part in an international competition without a hijab.
Rekabi, 33, could have been forced to leave the Asian Championships in South Korea early and faces being arrested and immediately transferred to prison when she returns home, according to reports denied by Tehran.
Wearing a hijab is mandatory for women in Iran - a rule which has sparked growing demonstrations over the last month.
The Iranian Embassy in South Korea said Rekabi left Seoul on a flight on Tuesday morning.
However, her passport and mobile phone are believed to have been seized, an "informed source" is said to have told journalists.
Her flight is said to have been unexpectedly pushed forward from Wednesday, according to the BBC's Persian service.
According to the Associated Press, an Instagram story on Rekabi's account said: "I apologise about what I did to make you worry."
The post also described her as "unintentionally" not wearing her hijab and claimed she was "rushed" - although she appears relaxed in footage.
The Instagram story suggested she was returning to Iran on a prearranged schedule.
But another website, IranWire - founded by Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari, who was once detained by the Iranian regime - alleged Rekabi would be immediately transferred to the notorious Evin Prison upon her arrival.
At least eight inmates died and dozens were injured after a huge blaze broke out at the Tehran jail this week - where political prisoners including now-freed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe were held.
The Iranian embassy dismissed "fake news and disinformation" over Rekabi's departure in a tweet.
But it posted a picture of the athlete wearing a headscarf at a different competition in Moscow, where she won a bronze medal.
The International Federation of Sport Climbing said it is "trying to establish the facts" over Rekabi's departure, adding: "Our understanding is that she is returning to Iran, and we will continue to monitor the situation as it develops on her arrival."
Rekabi took part in the final of the Asia Championship in Seoul on Sunday, travelling with an 11-strong team including eight athletes and three coaches.
Footage of the event showed her wearing a black headband with her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.
She had worn a hijab during earlier appearances, the Korea Alpine Federation in Seoul said.
There are no rules requiring female athletes to wear head scarves, however Iranian women competing abroad always wear a hijab.
South Korea's Justice Ministry said privacy-related regulations meant it could not comment on whether Rekabi is still in the country.
She has previously claimed one silver and two bronze medals in the Asian Championships.
Fears over her whereabouts come as violent protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini continued for a fifth week.
A statement from Amnesty International said: "Amnesty International is alarmed by reports Elnaz is being held incommunicado and may be forcibly returned to Iran, where she is at real risk of arbitrary arrest, torture and other ill-treatment for violating the authorities' compulsory veiling rules."
Sky Sports News' chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol spoke further about the situation.
"What Elnaz Rekabi did this weekend was very, very significant. She was competing in an international tournament in South Korea and for the first time she took off her headscarf. That is very, very brave for an Iranian woman to do that," Solhekol said.
"What has happened to her since she competed without a headscarf is very, very murky. What we do know is that she was taken to the Iranian embassy in Seoul, she was supposed to fly back to Iran on Wednesday, apparently, she has flown back to Iran today (Tuesday). We believe that her phone has been confiscated and her passport has been confiscated and a message has appeared on her Instagram account.
"She has about 200k followers and on that message, it apparently says that she's sorry and it was an accident, she forgot apparently to wear her headscarf. I would treat that message with extreme caution, there is no way of knowing if she herself actually posted that message."
Solhekol then spoke about what could happen now regarding Rekabi.
"We know she was at the Iranian embassy in South Korea, thankfully the International Climbing Federation have been in touch with her and they say she is safe," Solhekol said.
"Once she's back in Iran, she's in the clutches of the Islamic authorities. In the past, anyone who has challenged them or stood up to them has been taken to prison and that's the least that's going to happen to you. That is what people close to Elnaz are worried about, that when she goes back to Tehran she will be taken to Evin Prison, which is probably the most notorious prison in the world. It is full of political prisoners who've stood up against the regime.
"There was a horrendous fire at the prison over the weekend. The Islamic authorities are claiming that eight people died in that fire, so what people close to her will be very, very worried about is the possibility that she may, as we speak, be on her way to Evin Prison."
