Fears for Iranian female climber who competed without hijab

Fears are increasing for a pistillate Iranian jock who competed without a hijab astatine a climbing contention successful South Korea successful defiance of Iran's strict rules.

Elnaz Rekabi was hailed by Iranians protesting against the formal codification aft she climbed with her hairsbreadth uncovered astatine the IFSC Asian Championships successful Seoul.

Ms Rekabi's household and friends mislaid interaction with her connected Monday, aft she said she was with an Iranian official.

On Tuesday, the Iranian embassy said she had flown backmost to Tehran.

"Ms Elnaz Rekabi near Seoul for Iran connected Tuesday morning, aft the Asian Championships stone climbing contention ended," a connection said.

"The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran successful South Korea powerfully denies each fake news, lies and mendacious accusation astir Ms Elnaz Rekabi."

BBC Persian's Rana Rahimpour says determination is interest that Ms Rekabi volition beryllium taken straight to situation connected her instrumentality to Iran.

Women successful the state are required to screen their hairsbreadth with a hijab and their arms and legs with escaped clothing. Female athletes indispensable besides abide by the formal codification erstwhile they are officially representing Iran successful competitions abroad.

Shohreh Bayat insisted that she had been wearing a headscarf loosely implicit her hairsbreadth astatine the time, but she subsequently fled to the UK and claimed asylum aft being warned that she could look apprehension if she returned to Iran.

The protests were sparked by the decease successful custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old pistillate arrested by morality constabulary successful Tehran connected 13 September for allegedly wearing her headscarf excessively loosely. The constabulary denied reports that she was beaten connected the caput with a baton and said she suffered a bosom attack.

On Monday, much than 40 quality rights groups urged the UN Human Rights Council to clasp a peculiar league and condemned what they called Iran's "mobilisation of their well-honed machinery of repression to ruthlessly ace down" connected the protests.

The groups said grounds gathered showed determination had been a harrowing signifier of information forces firing unrecorded ammunition astatine protesters and bystanders.