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.
Op-Ed: The Weight of a Word
Time enough at last: What’s next after the House passes bill to do away with Daylight Saving Time?
Democrats turn on congressional hopeful after ‘hiding’ LGBTQ+ views from Muslim voters
WATCH: Inside look at the dangerous cartel human smuggling tunnels still being used at border
Paul Pelosi charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run in Napa Valley
House Republicans Call for Investigation Into Mamdani Administration’s Possible Violation of Federal Law
Trump Admin Deploys New Military Equipment to Israel with Eye Toward Major Escalation in Iran: Report
US backs Iraq-Syria oil pipeline bypassing Strait of Hormuz
Over 100 Democrats voted to end aid to Israel. They’ve received nearly $11 million from AIPAC
WATCH: Felony suspect’s ocean getaway unravels after 90-minute standoff with lifeguards
Covert DNA sample from Colorado man’s trash revives 44-year-old Texas murder case: report
Don Lemon Claims People Are Begging Him to Run for President and He’s ‘Totally Serious’ About Doing It
Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Regulation Becomes Unlikely Election Integrity Rallying Point for Conservatives
Trump Admin to Crack Down on Legal Immigrants Using Taxpayer-Funded Welfare
Rubio’s call to combat global funders of far-left terrorism could put Singham in crosshairs
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.
