Iranian chess champion Sara Khadim al-Sharia, who took part in the 2022 World Championship in Kazakhstan without wearing the mandatory hijab, intends to move to Spain. This was confirmed to the Spanish newspaper El Pais by two sources close to the champion, without specifying where, but adding that Sara Khadim, who is married and has a daughter, already owns an apartment in Spain. The sources also specified that they do not know if the champion has already obtained a Spanish residence permit thanks to her property, or if she has applied or intends to apply for political asylum.
Two Iranian chess players took part in the 2022 World Championship in Kazakhstan without wearing the mandatory hijab. In addition to Sara Khadem, whose story became known, Atousa Pourkashiyan also competed bareheaded, as reported by the anti-regime news website IranWire. Khadem and Pourkashiyan appeared in photos posted to the International Chess Federation’s Flickr feed without their hijabs, adds Iranwire, which also publishes the photos in question.
What is happening in Iran “is unacceptable to us and we do not intend to tolerate it any longer”. This is what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said during her year-end press conference. “We have always had a dialogue approach but, if these repressions” in Iran “do not cease and there is no turning back – added Meloni -, Italy’s attitude will have to change, with which provision will have to be the subject of an interlocution at international level”.
Talking about the chess champion of Iran Sara Khadim al-Sharia, who took part in the 2022 World Championship in Kazakhstan without wearing a headscarf, the Prime Minister said she was hit from the story of the girl, who in fact decided to participate in the World Chess Championship by taking off her veil in front of the world: “It made me think. We are used to symbolic gestures but, usually, ours do not have potentially as serious consequences as those that she might have this. This concerns her and others who are making symbolic gestures in Iran, knowing that they can pay very high prices. This should make us reflect on the value of freedom, which we take for granted”.
According to the latest update by the Iranian human rights news agency Hrana, 508 people have been killed during protests in Iran, including 69 children. The number of people arrested is more than 18,000. More than 1,200 protest rallies have taken place in 161 cities so far, the report said.
The new data provided by the agency refer to the period from 26 September to 7 December.
Iran: judges, immediately deterrent penalties for demonstrators
The head of the Iranian judiciary Gholamhossein Mohseni Ajeei called today during the meeting of the Supreme Council “deterrent punishments” as soon as possible for the protesters arrested during the protests, as reported by the BBC. “Fellow magistrates should act as soon as possible to try to punish the elements causing unrest,” he said. “I have ordered the first deputy of the judiciary and the attorney general of the country to follow the process of completing the cases of the main suspects for the riots on a daily basis,” he added.
