Elnaz Competition

Iranian mountaineer Elnaz Rekabi performed without a headscarf amid protests in the country at the Asian Championships in Seoul.

The unrest in Iran began with the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by the deputy police officer for wearing the headscarf incorrectly – presumably the girl was severely beaten. Amini passed away a few days later. Mahsa’s family blamed the deputy police officer for Mahsa’s death, and women across the country took off their headscarves and cut their hair in front of the camera. Soon, the protests took on a massive character, riots broke out in the country and called for the overthrow of the regime.

Elnaz Rekabi became the second representative of her country to compete without a headscarf after the Islamic revolution. In the competition, the athlete took fourth place. Last year, he became the first Iranian to win a medal at the World Championships in Moscow: he finished third.

After the tournament, the girl stopped communicating. At the same time, the Iranian embassy in South Korea said that Rekabi and his team left the country on October 18. According to the news of The Guardian, the athlete’s mobile phone and passport were confiscated. The girl faces criminal prosecution for violating the law that requires Iranian athletes to always compete with their heads covered.