Iranian climber who competed without hijab appears on state TV following concerns she had gone missing
She apologised for 'getting everybody worried' in an Instagram post some believe was written under duress
Female Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi has arrived in Tehran after she mysteriously missed her scheduled flight home from the Asian Championships in South Korea.
Fears for Rekabi's safety had been aired after she competed in the competition without a hijab.
She said the headscarf had fallen off "inadvertently" in the competition.
But it comes at a time when protests have erupted in the country over the authoritarian government's draconian rule.
Before dawn on Wednesday morning, BBC Persian had reported that friends had been unable to contact the athlete, with one source saying her mobile phone and passport had been taken from her.
Friends of Elnaz Rekabi told the BBC they have not been able to contact her since last night. An informed source said that Ms. Rakabi's passport and mobile phone were taken from her.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 17, 2022
Rekabi boarded a plane heading to Tehran two days earlier than planned, with Iran Wire reporting that the regime is planning to transfer her directly to Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
Videos posted on social media show crowds gathered outside the airport to welcome her home.
People clapped and chanted "Elnaz is a heroine" as she arrived.
Elnaz Rekabi--the Iranian climber who refused to wear compulsory hejab while competing--is greeted as a hero at 5AM at Tehran airport after her plane lands from Seoul. Imprisoning her will only increase the Iranian nation's enormous admiration for her. pic.twitter.com/7LFUk8hTTJ
— Karim Sadjadpour (@ksadjadpour) October 19, 2022
Posting on Instagram, Rekabi apologised for "getting everybody worried".
"Due to bad timing, and the unanticipated call for me to climb the wall, my head covering inadvertently came off," it explained.
The post added that she was on her way back to Iran "alongside the team based on the pre-arranged schedule".
BBC Persian's Rana Rahimpour says that to many people the language used in this post looks like it has been written under duress.
Other Iranian women who have competed abroad without wearing a headscarf in the past have said they came under pressure from Iranian authorities to issue similar apologies, she adds.
Some of them decided not to go back to Iran.
