Iranian woman rock climber Elnaz Rekabi’s house crumbled into earth for not wearing Hijab while performing in a competition and representing her country in Seoul.
A photo of Rekabi performing in the competition without her head covered went viral and grabbed much attention. She also did the same while performing in South Korea last October just after anti-regime protests erupted across Iran following the mysterious death of Mahsa Amini (22) in morality police custody held for not wearing Hijab properly. Many portrayed Rekabi as a symbol of women’s freedom after this but human rights groups feared her safety in the country.
The footage of Rekabi’s 39 sqm demolished house surfaced on the internet where the medals can be seen lying on the ground with other domestic stuff. Her brother Davood could be seen crying in the video who is a rock climber himself with 10 gold medals to his name, all crashed into ground. “This is the result of living in this country. A country’s champion with kilos of medals for this country. Worked hard to make this country proud. They pepper sprayed him and demolished a 39 sqm house and left. What can I say?” said the man filming the video whose identity remains unknown. The exact time of demolition also remains unknown.
Rekabi claimed both on her social media handles and in interviews that she had only competed without Hijab “accidentally” which her country mandates. The Iranian media on the other side claimed the house to be demolished only for not having a valid permit for the construction. Duress? Remains the question.