Iranian athlete's family home demolished by officials, media outlet says - CNN

CNN  — 

The household location of Iranian stone climber Elnaz Rekabi has been demolished, according to the pro-reform quality outlet IranWire, aft she roseate to planetary prominence this autumn for competing with her caput uncovered.

Rekabi competed without her hijab successful South Korea successful October, conscionable arsenic anti-regime protests swept Iran pursuing the decease of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini portion successful the custody of the morality constabulary for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly.

Some Iranian demonstrators saw Rekabi arsenic a awesome of the nationalist uprising calling for greater freedoms for women. However, quality rights groups expressed fears for her information erstwhile she returned to Tehran.

Footage obtained by CNN from IranWire shows a destroyed operation and medals connected the ground. The antheral filming the video clip describes what has happened to the house. The video clip besides shows Rekabi’s brother, Davood, crying. Davood Rekabi is simply a athletics climber champion himself with 10 golden medals to his name, according to IranWire.

The antheral filming the footage – whose individuality is not known – says disconnected camera, “This is the effect of surviving successful this country. A country’s champion with kilos of medals for this country. Worked hard to marque this state proud. They capsicum sprayed him and demolished a 39 sqm location and left. What tin I say?”

It is not wide erstwhile the demolition took place.

CNN cannot independently corroborate if Rekabi’s household location was destroyed by bid of the government. Neither the authorities nor state-aligned media person commented connected the concern publicly.

Footage of Rekabi wearing a headband with her hairsbreadth successful a ponytail portion competing successful Seoul went viral connected societal media and made planetary headlines. When she returned to Iran, videos posted to societal media appeared to amusement her being greeted by crowds chanting “Elnaz the Hero” astatine Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.

The climber wrote aboriginal that week connected her Instagram account, “I americium endlessly grateful for the enactment of you, each the radical of Iran, the astir decent radical of the planet, athletes and non-athletes, and each your enactment successful [the] planetary community.”

Rekabi has suggested – some connected her Instagram relationship and successful interviews with authorities media IRNA – that she had lone “accidentally” competed without her hijab, which Iran mandates indispensable beryllium worn by women representing the state abroad.

However, it is unclear whether Rekabi’s comments were made nether duress.