An Iranian climber was seen competing at an international competition without donning a hijab, in open defiance of the Islamic Republic’s restrictions for female athletes. In a historic move, Elnaz Rekabi represented Iran at the Asian climbing competition finals in Seoul without covering her head amid anti-hijab protests in her home country.
Protests sparked in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16 and have become one of the boldest challenges to Iran’s rulers since the 1979 revolution.
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Demonstrators demanding the downfall of the Islamic Republic have continued at several universities, including in the cities of Tabriz and Rasht. The government has launched a major crackdown on the protests with heavy deployment of riot police.
In many places, the protests which have continue for a month now, turned violent as fire being lit at road intersections in several cities could be seen in videos widely shared on social media. Anti-government slogans have been heard in the demonstrations which have been dominated by women protesters.
