What happened to the jeweler after she left Switzerland is unclear.
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini has sparked protests around the world.
Goldsmith Raziyeh Jalili has won the gold medal for her work at World Skills. When she was presented with the award in Geneva on Monday, she stood on the podium and used the attention of the audience in the hall to make a political statement. She returns the medal in protest against the regime in her home country.
The organizer Swiss Skills did not publish the video of Jalili’s speech to protect the young woman. However, the case was publicized through various tweets.
She didn’t want to apply for asylum
Taimoor Aliassi, United Nations representative in Geneva and member of Geneva City Parliament, also tweeted about the protest. Opposite to SRF Aliassi said: «With broken English she spoke about the oppression of women in Iran. After that, she left the gold medal on the podium and was immediately escorted to her vehicle by the Iranian delegation.” She then drove back to her hotel with the delegation.
You don’t know what happened there. Human rights activists and Iranian opposition groups took up the protest and speculated that Jalili had been kidnapped by the Iranian authorities. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Compared to the Tamedia newspapers A spokesman for the organizer Swiss Skills said: “In the hotel, the Geneva authorities were able to contact her immediately and inform her about her options for obtaining protection in Switzerland if necessary.”
The Geneva public prosecutor’s office confirmed the incident to the Tamedia newspapers. «The police visited the award winner to make sure that she could move freely. After the award winner calmed the police down and expressed her desire to join the Iranian delegation, the police ended the operation because there was no evidence of a criminal offense,” a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office is quoted as saying.
Jalili reportedly returned to Iran on Tuesday as planned. What happened to her after she left Switzerland is unclear.
The last post on her Instagram profile was published seven weeks ago. Jalili writes: «I’m looking forward to the day when, after a long exhaustion, I’ll sit in the middle of the castle of my dreams, take a deep breath and say: It was hard, very hard, but I proved that it’s possible, that it can be done; that nothing is impossible for someone who stands bravely, fights and doesn’t give up!”
Parallels to climber Elnaz Rekabi
The case of Jalili is reminiscent of the protest by Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi. At the Asian Cup on Sunday, she climbed with her hair uncovered – a violation of Iranian law. This provides for the wearing of the headscarf in public for female athletes who take part in competitions abroad. Rekabi’s action was interpreted as a sign of her solidarity with the women’s movement in Iran and the protests against compulsory headscarves.
The protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The young woman was arrested by the Iranian moral police in September for failing to cover her hair and body properly. She died in police custody.
Rekabi was reported missing on Monday. However, she has since returned to Iran and says she accidentally didn’t wear her hijab. Great concerns are expressed about the safety of Rekabi.
Iranian representatives assured the International Olympic Committee and the world association IFSC on Wednesday that the sport climber Elnaz Rekabi had “no consequences” to fear after her performance in Seoul.