In a video posted on Instagram, Parmida Ghasemi said she had not noticed the hijab falling “because of the wind and too much stress”. “This led to reactions that caused misunderstandings. My family and I do not have, nor have we ever had, any problem with the hijab. I wanted to apologize to the world, the officials and my teammates,” she said, wearing a headscarf. video. Her statement prompted comments on social media suggesting it was made under duress. Human rights groups say Iranian authorities have a history of coercing confessions. Iranian officials reject such accusations. Iran has been hit by sweeping protests since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in moral police custody nearly two months ago after being detained for “improper clothing”. Women waved and burned headscarves – mandatory under Iran’s conservative dress code – during the protests, which mark one of the boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. Videos posted on social media purported to show Iran’s national basketball team refrain from singing the national anthem during a match against China in Tehran on Friday, after videos on social media earlier this week showed that the national water polo team also did not sing him in a match in Thailand. A cleric in the northwestern city of Urmia called during Friday prayers for athletes who refrained from singing the national anthem to be punished, according to Iranian news agencies. In video of the ceremony at the archery match shared on social media this week, Ghasemi, standing alongside others on the podium, lets her headscarf fall as unseen people in the audience clap and shout “Bravo”. The athlete standing next to her tries to lift her scarf, but she moves her head away. Last month, Iranian mountaineer Elnaz Rekabi caused controversy by participating in an international competition without a headscarf, later saying she did so unintentionally and apologizing. Iran’s Deputy Sports Minister Maryam Kazemipour said on Wednesday that some Iranian female athletes acted against Islamic rules and later apologized for their actions. Last week, players of the national beach soccer team refused to sing Iran’s national anthem at the start of a match against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai, according to a widely followed activist Twitter account known as 1500tasvir. Then on Sunday, the players did not cheer or celebrate after beating Brazil to win the championship, the account said. Reporting from the Dubai newsroom Writing by Tom Perry Editing by Frances Kerry Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
