Source: IranWire
Iranian climbing champion Elnaz Rekabi has left the country, according to an Instagram post by her brother, Davood Rekabi.
Elnaz gained international attention in 2022 when she competed without a headscarf at a competition in Seoul during nationwide protests in Iran.
Following the incident, she was detained by Iranian authorities and has faced security pressure since then.
Upon her return to Tehran in 2022, she and her brother appeared before state television cameras.
Elnaz reiterated what had previously been stated in a post on her Instagram account – that she had forgotten to wear a hijab.
She was subsequently placed under house arrest at her father’s home in Zanjan and was prohibited from meeting freely with other athletes, giving interviews, or using her cellphone.
According to a source cited by IranWire at the time, the National Olympic Committee and the Minister of Sports warned Elnaz that “her family’s land would be confiscated if she left the country, gave interviews to the media, or engaged in sensitive activities on social media.” The family’s property was reportedly worth $300,000.
Before heading to Seoul in 2022, Rekabi was required to hand over a $35,000 cheque and grant full power of attorney to Iran’s climbing federation, allowing them to sell her family’s property as a guarantee that she would return.
Her brother expressed hope for her return but provided no details about her destination or the circumstances of her departure.
