An Iranian professional climber could face jail time in Iran after she competed without a hijab during the International Federation of Sport Climbing’s Asian Championships in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday.
Elnaz Rekabi, 33, reportedly left Seoul on Tuesday morning and will be transported directly from the airport to Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran, upon her arrival, according to IranWire, a news outlet founded by Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari in 2014.
This report comes hours after speculation about Rekabi's whereabouts following the event. Rekabi had initially been reported as missing by the BBC, but IranWire later reported she was "tricked" into entering the Iranian embassy building in Seoul by Reza Zarei, the head of Iran's Climbing Federation, on the orders of Mohammad Khosravivafa, Iran's Olympic Committee chairman, in order to more easily bring her back to Iran.