An Iranian climber who caused a sensation by competing at an event abroad without a hijab was on Wednesday given a hero’s welcome on her return to Tehran by supporters who raucously applauded her action.
With Iran still shaken by women-led protests over the death of Mahsa Amini one month ago, Elnaz Rekabi flew back to a Tehran airport after the competition in South Korea.
In an Instagram post and comments at the airport, Ms. Rekabi has apologised over what happened and insisted her hijab — which all Iranian women, including athletes, must wear — had accidentally slipped off.
But activists fear her comments were made under pressure from Iranian authorities, who were likely infuriated by her actions.
“Elnaz is a hero” and “Well done Elnaz!” chanted dozens of supporters who gathered outside the Imam Khomeini International Airport terminal.
“Concerns for her safety remain,” said the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).
“Due to the atmosphere prevailing in the finals of the competition and the unexpected call for me to start my run, I got tangled with my technical equipment and… that caused me to remain unaware of the hijab that I should have observed,” she said to presspersons at the airport.
But the Islamic republic has been repeatedly accused by activists of coercing people into making statements of contrition.
The British actress of Iranian origin Nazanin Boniadi, who is an ambassador for Amnesty International in the U.K., tweeted that it was clear Ms. Rekabi had been “forced to make this statement by authorities that constantly use forced and televised confessions.” Observers “should not be swayed by state propaganda”, the CHRI said.
