The video begins with dozens of medals scattered among the rubble. Then a completely destroyed house appears. This is the family of Elnaz Rekabi, an Iranian professional mountaineer who appeared without a veil during a competition in Seoul last October. In this undated video, filmed by the athlete’s brother Davod Rekabi, who is himself a mountaineer, we see him in tears in front of the ruins.
The semi-official Iranian agency Tasmi confirmed the destruction of the house, but claims it must have happened before the competition because it did not have a building permit. At the same time, activists opposed to the Iranian government believe that this is an “act of revenge” against the champion who challenged Tehran.
Declaration under threat?
Violating the dress code imposed by the Islamic Republic, Elnaz Rekabi disappeared for two days. Before reappearing at the Tehran airport, where the Iranian people welcomed her as a hero. While demonstrations against the vice police have been taking place in Iran for weeks now, Elnaz Kerabi’s gesture was taken as a sign of solidarity. But then the athlete publicly apologized, citing an “accident” rather than a deliberate act.
The independent newspaper Iran Wire alleges that Elnaz Rekabi was then arrested by a police squad and, according to the BBC, the Iranian authorities threatened to confiscate her family’s property if she did not make a statement.
Source: Le Parisien
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
