Sara Khadem, an Iranian chess player who refused to wear hijab, exiled; parents, relatives get threat calls

In the latest development in regards to the top Iranian chess player Sara Khadem, also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, who while competing in FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan in December last year refused to wear a hijab, is now believed to be exiled from her birth country, Iran.

For those who don’t know, a hijab is a headscarf that is mandatory to wear under Iran’s strict dress code. Meanwhile, the 25-year-old didn’t wear the scarf during the tournament on purpose to show solidarity with the protest movement going on in Iran since September 2022. It all started when a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini died in the custody of morality police who detained her for ‘inappropriate attire.’

Now, as a per a report in BBC as quoted by NDTV, Sara, who is currently staying somewhere in Southern Spain – location of which remains unknown due to security reasons, cannot move to her country as the arrest papers are waiting for her. 

On the other hand, as per Reuters, a source close to the information had revealed that Sara had has been receiving multiple phone calls – where on one hand the individuals have warned her against returning to Iran, while others are urging her to come home after the tournament ends as they promise to solve her problem.

The source, who asked not to be named considering the sensitivity of the matter, further revealed that Sara’s parents and relatives who are living in Iran have also received multiple threat calls.

Born in 1997, Sara is currently ranked 804 in the world, according to the International Chess Federation.

Meanwhile, not only Sara, several other Iranian athletes have also stood against the government and suffered severe consequences. While footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani was sentenced to 16 years in prison for raising voice against the current regime, execution of karate champion Mohammad Mehdi Karami sent shivers down the spine.