The 22-year-old was the only Iranian to qualify for the Winter Olympics in Beijing last year.
Iran has been protesting against the leadership in Tehran for months. The protests were sparked by the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody in September. The 22-year-old was arrested for allegedly violating the headscarf rule.
The Iranian security forces are cracking down on the demonstrators with all their might. At least 488 people were killed in the crackdown on the protests, according to the Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights. The Iranian judiciary carried out four death sentences in connection with the protests.
Iranian chess grandmaster Sara Chadem fled the country in January. The 25-year-old went into exile in Spain with her husband, film director Ardeschir Ahmadi, and their ten-month-old son. Chadem performed without a headscarf at the World Rapid Chess Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan in December. This was interpreted by many as a gesture of solidarity with the Iranian protest movement.
