Elnaz Rekabi, from forced interview to heroic welcome in Iran

Elnaz Rekabi, the historic young Iranian rock-climbing athlete, returned to Tehran on Wednesday morning to the cheers of the Iranian people who had come to the Khomeini Airport terminal to welcome her. As reported by Qatar Airways, the Iranian competitor landed at 3:40 a.m. local time, where she was greeted by a large crowd of people who, according to Iranian media, were there to prevent the athlete's arrest. 

Once she landed, the athlete, after being acclaimed by the Iranian people, according to different Iranian media who were there, was surrounded by a van belonging to the athletes' committee (it should be noted that only she returned) and two "journalists" from the state television IRNA asked her about what had happened. She was clearly nervous and was pressured by the journalists as she simply repeated what they asked her in a seemingly scripted dialogue. She made reference in her Insta Story that it was all an accident. 

One of them asked her if the public took advantage of the mistake that happened to her. She agrees. The other says rumours have been spreading that she has disappeared. She says she is doing very well and has returned from Seoul as planned. With this "interview", which is a public confession, they want to humiliate her, scare her and her family (her brother has been arrested) and show others how they will fare if they dare such actions abroad. 

Elnaz Rekabi had competed in the South Korean games without the obligatory Islamic hijab. At the end of this tournament, there was no information about her. The circle closest to her informed IranWire that Reza Zarei, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mountaineering Federation (IFSC), after confiscating Elnaz Rekabi's passport and mobile phone, took her to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Seoul for a final return to Iran. The Iranian Embassy in South Korea, on its Twitter account, denied reports of her disappearance after the competition. Iranian officials denied what they called "fake news, lies and false information" about her. 

On Tuesday, while there was no news from Elnaz Rekabi for hours, a text similar to the "forced confessions" was posted on her Instagram page in the Republic alleging that "there was poor scheduling and I was called to climb unpredictably". This information contrasts with a person close to the athlete who told IranWire that Elnaz decided to participate in the competition without the hijab a month ago. She added that she was afraid for the physical safety of her husband, who lives in Iran, so she decided not to seek asylum in Seoul.

BBC journalist Rana Rahimpour explained that the language used in this post appears to have been written under pressure. The post was later removed from the social network. Rahimpour said that Iranian women who have gone through the same situation of not wearing the veil in sports competitions have been pressured by the authorities to offer public apologies for breaching Islamic morality. 

The fear and anxiety about Rekabi's condition is real. Deceived by the Iranian embassy, the athlete was promised to be returned to her home country without consequences if she presented herself at the embassy. The BBC's Persian service reported on Monday 17 October 2022 that the athlete's mobile phone and passport were confiscated on her arrival in Iran after taking part in the sporting event. Her departure from the Seoul hotel was two days before the stipulated date. 

Now, following her arrest, Rekabi will be sent directly to Evin prison, according to IranWire. Evin, in Tehran, is the prison where the Islamic Republic incarcerates its political prisoners and is the prison that burned down this past weekend in circumstances that remain unclear. According to the Iranian authorities, eight people died of smoke inhalation in the fire. Among the political prisoners held at Evin are two Iranian businessmen with US citizenship, Siamak Namazi and Emad Sharghi, who are accused of espionage. The Biden administration is closely monitoring developments. 

Meanwhile, violence and repression in the protests continue in Iran a month after they began. Independent estimates put the death toll at over 230, although the figure could be higher: the Iranian authorities do not give an exact figure, and it is human rights organisations in exile outside the country that are trying to compile the death toll, which is growing steadily.