Elnaz Rekabi family house in Iran has been demolished because she competed without a hijab

Elnaz Rekabi, an Iranian female rock climber, competed overseas with her hair uncovered, and Iranian state media said on Saturday that her family home had been demolished.

After competing in a rock climbing competition in South Korea without donning the customary headscarf for female athletes from the Islamic Republic, Rekabi became a symbol of the anti-government movement in October. The next day, Rekabi said in an Instagram post that not wearing a hijab was “unintentional,” although it is still unknown if she created the post herself and, if so, under what circumstances.

Rekabi was later placed under house arrest, and rumor has it that her brother was also detained for a time.

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Mizan, Iran’s official judicial news agency, stated that the home was destroyed owing to its “unauthorised construction and use of land,” adding that the demolition occurred months before Rekabi competed.

Activists opposed to the government have questioned this, claiming it was a targeted demolition.

Last week, a video that was going around on social media showed a house in ruins with medals scattered throughout. The video showed Rekabi’s brother Davood, a medal-winning competition climber, sobbing. When the video was captured is not known.

Iran has been rocked by widespread protests since September, which have come to represent one of the most significant challenges to theocracy since the tumultuous years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The demonstrations began after Mahsa Amini, 22, who had been detained by the morality police for breaking the Islamic Republic’s rigorous clothing code for women, passed away on September 16 while she was still in detention. The Iranian government maintains that Amini was not abused, but according to her relatives, her body exhibited symptoms of beating, including bruises.