An Iranian climber who competed without wearing a hijab at an international competition is now reportedly set to be jailed. Friends became concerned for Elnaz Rekabi’s safety after they said they were unable to contact her following her appearance at the tournament in South Korea on Sunday, with reports suggesting that her cell phone and passport had been confiscated. The Iranian embassy in Seoul denied “all the fake, false news and disinformation” and said Rekabi left on a flight back to Tehran on Tuesday morning. Now IranWire, citing sources, claims Rekabi is due to be transferred to the notorious Evin prison straight from the airport when she lands. The outlet said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps was behind a plot to trick Rekabi into the embassy, promising her safe travel to Iran. In a message posted on her Instagram Tuesday, Rekabi said her hijab fell off “inadvertently” and she apologized for “getting everybody worried,” the BBC reports. Fears for Rekabi’s safety come after weeks of protests in Iran in response to the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of morality police. She had been detained for not wearing a hijab properly.
