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.
Woman added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list arrested hours later after tips poured in from Florida: Patel
DC curfew ends as teen takeover fears clock in – city braces for chaos amid spring break mayhem
Watch: As Walls Close in, Schiff’s Own Words Come Back to Haunt Him in Resurfaced Pardon Video He Wishes Didn’t Exist
What to know about the Freedom 250 UFC fight on the White House lawn
Left-Wing Mob, Violent Threats Force Erika Kirk to Miss TPUSA Event with JD Vance
Trump reveals he has multi-pick SCOTUS plan ready as retirement speculation heats up
WATCH: Ex-NATO chief draws red line as Trump fumes alliance abandoned US during Iran war
Jeanine Pirro accused of trying to ‘circumvent’ Jerome Powell investigation through unprompted Fed ‘tour’
Millions tap Trump tax cuts this filing season as refunds top $3,400
Trump-Tillis tiff deepens as president says he ‘quit,’ concedes Fed fight could doom new chair confirmation
Man with Joker-inspired rifle fires gun, runs into traffic near Trump golf course, deputies say
Bahamian authorities plan to suspend search for missing American woman amid US Coast Guard criminal probe
Trump Says China Is ‘Very Happy’ With What He’s Doing With the Strait of Hormuz and Has Agreed to Comply
Sanity Is Returning: Teens Identifying as ‘Nonbinary’ Has Crashed 70 Percent in 2 Years Among CA 16-Year-Olds
Federal judge hands Biden’s home state a loss in battle of ICE access to labor data
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.
