DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s only female Olympic medalist said she defected from the Islamic Republic in a blistering online letter that describes herself as “one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran.”
Taekwondo athlete Kimia Alizadeh posted the letter on Instagram as semiofficial Iranian news agency ISNA said she had fled to the Netherlands. She criticized wearing the mandatory hijab headscarf and accused officials in Iran of sexism and mistreatment.
“Whatever they said, I wore,” Alizadeh wrote in the letter posted Saturday. “Every sentence they ordered, I repeated.”
She described the decision to leave Iran as difficult but necessary.
Durbin says Bondi instructed FBI agents to flag Epstein files that mentioned Trump
Justice Department moves to unseal Epstein, Maxwell grand jury transcripts amid calls for transparency
Security Guard Delivers Instant Justice to Protester Targeting Israeli Tour de France Cyclists
Trump says 10 hostages will be returning from Gaza ‘very shortly’ during White House dinner with allies
Former UK police officer found guilty in brutal killing of wife who uncovered his double life
New York Times Backtracks: US Strikes ‘Destroyed’ Iran’s Nuke Site Capabilities, Could Take ‘Years To Rebuild’
EPA announces 23% workforce reduction and closure of research office as part of federal streamlining
WATCH: Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani on abolishing prisons: ‘What purpose do they serve?’
Cancellation Justified: ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ Was Doing Even Worse Than You Can Imagine
McCarthy says Democrats never asked about Epstein files when he was speaker
Tech Company Breaks Silence After Its CEO Was Caught at Concert with Another Woman
California wildfire victims face uphill battle as corporations and investors swoop in
Christian university rebranding DEI to evade Trump order, enroll illegals, Tennessee rep says
Mike Huckabee Threatens to Declare Israel ‘No Longer Welcoming’ to Christian Organizations After ‘Shocking’ Policy Change
Former Voice of America Staffer Charged Over Alleged Death Threats Against Marjorie Taylor Greene
There was no immediate reaction from Iranian authorities. ISNA said Alizadeh had been reported injured and unable to compete. Its report suggested Alizadeh might try to compete under another nation’s flag at the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo.
Alizadeh, 21, won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Her defection comes amid unprecedentedly high tensions between Iran and the United States.
In recent years, many Iranian athletes have left their country, citing government pressure. In September, Saeid Mollaei, an Iranian judoka, left the country for Germany. He said Iranian officials had forced him to not compete with Israeli judoka.
Alireza Faghani, an Iranian international soccer referee, also left Iran last year, for Australia.
Story cited here.
