Female Iranian Rock Climber Missing After Competing Without Hijab

A woman looks at a screen displaying a video of an international climbing competition is S
-/AFP via Getty Images
John Hayward

The whereabouts and status of rock climber Elnaz Rekabi, 33, are uncertain after she represented Iran at the Asian Championships in South Korea and was photographed competing without her hijab, the Islamic headscarf mandated for all women by the authoritarian regime in Tehran.

Iranians have been marching in the streets for weeks since a young woman was killed by the thuggish “morality police” for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly.

Rekabi has worn a headscarf during previous competitions, but on Sunday she climbed while wearing only a headband:

Sky News on Tuesday quoted an “informed source” who said Rekabi’s passport and mobile phone were seized by Iranian officials, and her return flight home was bumped up from Wednesday to Tuesday, after footage circulated of her competing without her hijab.

CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer on Tuesday quoted sources who said Rekabi was “invited to the Iranian embassy in Seoul on a ruse,” and then “stripped of her phone and passport and put on a plane to Tehran.”

The Iranian embassy in South Korea confirmed Rekabi flew out of Seoul on Tuesday morning, but the Iranian regime denied reports that she would be arrested and sent to prison upon arriving home. The prison would most likely be Evin, the notorious dungeon for political prisoners and foreign nationals that suffered fire damage under murky circumstances on Saturday.

After BBC Persian reported her friends lost contact with her on Monday, the Iranian embassy in Seoul posted a tweet denying she was under arrest. Sky News noted ominously that the tweet used an old photo of Rekabi wearing a hijab at a competition in Tokyo, not one of the many photos taken of her in South Korea:

Sky News quoted friends and international competitors expressing their fears for Rekabi’s safety:

In a statement shared on Instagram, [former Iranian ice climber] Zeinab Moosavi said: “Considering all the events that have happened, all of Iran and the world are worried about Elnaz’s condition after her arrival in Iran.

“We can only pray and ask God to make the best decision for dear Elnaz in this situation.

Moosavi also hailed Rekabi as a “brave and powerful girl” adding “a nation stands by you”.

Although many Iranians and international observers joined Moosavi in assuming Rekabi cast aside her hijab in solidarity with the protesters and Mahsa Amini, the woman whose death launched the uprising, Rekabi’s Instagram account on Tuesday included a suspiciously formal statement insisting she had no connection with the protests, and merely dropped her hijab because of stress from the competition:

Greetings to all respectful and honorable citizens of Iran.

I, Elnaz Rekabi with 20 years of membership in national team of climbing while apologizing for the concerns that I have caused, I must announce because of the existing sensitivities during the finale of the Asian Championship competition taken place in South Korea, because of the unsuitable timetable and unexpected call for me to climb the wall, unintentionally my cover became problematic.

Right now based on a prearranged timetable with the team, I am heading to Iran.

Iranians who live in Brazil protest against the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who died in Iran while in police custody, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

The BBC pointed out that Rekabi’s statement looks as though it was written under duress.

“Other Iranian women who have competed abroad without wearing a headscarf in the past have said they came under pressure from Iranian authorities to issue similar apologies,” BBC Persian correspondent Rana Rahimpour noted. 

One example was Shohreh Bayat, an Iranian chess referee who claimed asylum in the United Kingdom two years ago after a photo showed her working at an event in Shanghai without her hair covered. Bayat said she received death threats and was pressured by the Iranian regime to write a public apology similar to the one posted on Rekabi’s Instagram account.

Shohreh Bayat, chief arbiter for the match between Aleksandra Goryachkina of Russia and Ju Wenjun of China, looks on before the match during the 2020 International Chess Federation (FIDE) Women's World Chess Championship in Shanghai on January 11, 2020. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT / TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY PETER STEBBINGS (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Shohreh Bayat, chief arbiter for the match between Aleksandra Goryachkina of Russia and Ju Wenjun of China, looks on before the match during the 2020 International Chess Federation (FIDE) Women’s World Chess Championship in Shanghai on January 11, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

“I think actions speak louder than words. And she made a very powerful statement in not wearing a headscarf,” Bayat said when asked about Rekabi’s fishy Instagram “apology.”

The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) said on Tuesday it was following Rekabi’s case and attempting to verify her status after leaving Seoul.

“There is a lot of information in the public sphere regarding Elnaz Rekabi and as an organization we have been trying to establish the facts. We have also been in contact with Ms. Rekabi and the Iranian Climbing Federation,” the IFSC said.

“Athletes’ safety is paramount for us and we support any efforts to keep a valued member of our community safe in this situation. The IFSC fully support the rights of athletes, their choices, and expression of free speech,” the organization stated.

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