Iran destroys family home of climber who competed without headscarf
Iran has destroyed a villa owned by a family member of an Iranian rock climber who competed in an overseas competition without her headscarf, a video appears to show.
In the undated video, the brother of Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi, himself an athlete, is seen sobbing by the ruins of a home with medals on the ground.
Ms Rekabi, 33, and her brother Davoud were both reportedly arrested after Ms Rekabi’s return to Iran following the tournament in South Korea in October in which she competed without a headscarf.
According to local media, the villa was not demolished as an act of retaliation against Ms Rekabi’s appearance in South Korea.
The Tasnim news agency said the house was razed by authorities before Ms Rekabi took part in the competition, adding Mr Rekabi did not hold the correct permit for its construction.
Earlier this year, Ms Rekabi posted a suspicious apology video on her Instagram Stories saying the hijab dropped by mistake and she was returning home, with the athlete and her brother both allegedly detained shortly afterwards. After arriving at the Imam Khomeini International Airport outside of Tehran, she repeated the explanation that described her not wearing a hijab as ‘unintentional.’
Video online showed large crowds gathered to greet her at the airport, with fans offering cheers.
She walked into one of the airport’s terminals, filmed by state media and wearing a black baseball cap and a black hoodie covering her hair. She received flowers and repeated her explanation on Instagram that not wearing the hijab was ‘unintentional’ and her travel had been as previously planned.
She continued: ‘I returned to Iran peacefully, in perfect health and according to the predetermined plan. I apologise to the people of Iran because of the tensions created,’ adding she had ‘no plan to say goodbye to the national team’.
Outside, she appeared to enter a van and was driven through the gathered crowds, who cheered her. It was not clear where she went after that.
