Iranian female climber says hijab 'fell off accidentally' at competition - BBC

A pistillate Iranian climber who competed with her hairsbreadth uncovered did truthful due to the fact that her hijab fell disconnected "inadvertently", a station connected her Instagram relationship says.

Elnaz Rekabi, 33, was praised by those protesting against Iran's formal codification aft video emerged of her astatine the Asian Championships successful South Korea connected Sunday.

BBC Persian reported connected Monday that friends had been incapable to interaction her.

On Tuesday, the Instagram station apologised for "getting everybody worried" and said she was flying home.

"Due to atrocious timing, and the unanticipated telephone for maine to ascent the wall, my headcovering inadvertently came off," it explained.

The station added that she was connected her mode backmost to Iran "alongside the squad based connected the pre-arranged schedule".

Her member was besides quoted by the hard-line Tasnim quality bureau arsenic saying she would "explain the details" astatine a quality conference, and that she would proceed to vie "wearing the garment of the Iranian nationalist team".

Earlier, the Iranian embassy successful South Korea said Ms Rekabi had near Seoul for Iran connected Tuesday morning. It besides powerfully denied what it called "all fake news, lies and mendacious information" astir her.

The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) said it had been successful interaction with Ms Rekabi and the Iranian Climbing Federation, and that it was "trying to found the facts".

"It is important to accent that athletes' information is paramount for america and we enactment immoderate efforts to support a valued subordinate of our assemblage harmless successful this situation," it added. "The IFSC afloat enactment the rights of athletes, their choices, and look of escaped speech."

A root told BBC Persian connected Monday that Ms Rekabi's passport and mobile telephone were confiscated. Her household and friends mislaid interaction with her aft she said she was with an Iranian official.

BBC Persian's Rana Rahimpour said determination was interest that Ms Rekabi would 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.