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.
Warsh confirmed as next Fed chairman and will face renewed inflation threat
Age of first-time mothers hits record high in blue states as birth rates keep falling
WATCH: Dem’s Plan to Tar Patel as Alcoholic Backfires When Patel Reminds Crowd of Dem’s Own Alcohol Disgrace … and Brings Receipts
Report: After Sex Scandal Was Exposed, Swalwell Attempted to ‘Intimidate’ Women He Shared Messages with
Billionaire Dem donor who turned on party after allegations against Swalwell is arrested
Twin Cities’ wage hikes roasted after report exposes job-crushing fallout in Tim Walz’s backyard
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Alex Murdaugh double murder conviction overturned
Alex Murdaugh’s double murder conviction unanimously overturned by South Carolina Supreme Court
Trump Accuser E. Jean Carroll Gets Horrible News About $83 Million Verdict Against Trump
Rand Paul brings CIA whistleblower to Senate hearing alleging ‘deep state’ COVID-19 conspiracy
Developing: Saudi Arabia Has Joined US, Israel, and UAE – Now Revealed to Have Been Attacking Iran as Well
China rolls out the red carpet, American flags, and military honor guard for Trump’s arrival in Beijing
Four takeaways from Nebraska and West Virginia’s primary elections
Man Sucked Into Jet Engine at Denver Airport Had Lengthy Rap Sheet, Once Arrested for Attempted Murder
James Talarico enlists Barack Obama to help win over black voters after contentious Texas primary
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.
