An Iranian athlete who refused to wear a hijab while competing in a climbing completion overseas was reported missing for a few hours and is now reportedly being sent to Iran's notorious Evin prison.
Elnaz Rekabi, 33, was representing her country at the Asian Sport Climbing Championships in Seoul on Sunday but shunned the Islamic Republic's restrictions
For two days sources close to Ms Rekabi told the BBC that they had been unable to contact her and had formally declared her missing.
On Monday night they found out she was on a plane heading to Tehran, two days earlier than planned and said that "there are concerns about her safety."
According to independent Iranian news outlet Iranwire, Iranian authorities plan to send her to Tehran's notorious Evin prison.
And her brother Daud Rekabi, also a rock climber, has also reportedly been detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Ms Rekabi's brave and defiant statement in choosing not to wear a headscarf was broadcast across the world and presumably angered authorities in her home country.
She was only the second Iranian female athlete to compete in public without wearing a hijab.
BBC Persia reported that Ms Rekabi’s passport and mobile phone had been confiscated.
Hundreds of those taking part in anti-government protests have been sent to Evin prison, which was the site of a huge fire on Saturday night. It is not clear whether the incident at the jail was connected to the unrest.
On Tuesday, Ms Rekabi put up an Instagram story, saying the "problem" with her hijab had happened "unintentionally" and because of "inappropriate timing".
She also apologised that she made the Iranian people worried and that she was returning to Iran along with the team.
Many commentators have said the message was likely posted under duress or by another person, as it would not be the first time the Iranian regime forced people to confess.
The viral video shows her scaling a climbing wall with her hair tied back in a ponytail during the International Federation of Sport Climbing Asian Championships final.
Her move was likely in solidarity with fellow Iranian women who have been protesting for weeks following the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini — the 22-year-old who was arrested for allegedly failing to properly wear her headscarf.
Female protesters have been burning their hijabs and cutting off their hair in solidarity with Ms Amini's death and against the stringent Islamic laws.
In an unprecedented show of support, schoolgirls have also been demonstrating in playgrounds and on the streets.
Human rights groups estimate at least 230 people have been killed in the subsequent unrest, including 32 minors.
Security forces have denied killing peaceful demonstrators, but they have been filmed firing live ammunition on the streets.
In a tweet on Tuesday, the Iranian embassy in Seoul said Rekabi “departed from Seoul to Iran, early morning of October 18, 2022, along with the other members of the team”.
“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in South Korea strongly denies all the fake, false news and disinformation regarding Ms Elnaz REKABI,” it said.
In 2019, the boxer Sadaf Khadem became the first Iranian woman since the Islamic revolution to win a fight overseas.
But shortly after her win, Iranian authorities reportedly issued a warrant for her arrest because she had boxed bareheaded and in shorts.
