Iranian chess player receives threats because she played in a tournament without the headscarf

26-year-old Iranian chess player Sara Khadem arrived in Spain today after receiving threats not to return to Iran, as she participated in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess tournaments in Almaty without the Islamic headscarf which is mandatory based on the country’s strict regulations.

The img, who is close to the chess player and asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said that Khadem had received several phone calls from people warning her not to return home after the tournament, while others urged her to do so, pledging that the problem will be solved. The img also said that Khadem’s parents and relatives, who live in Iran, also received threats, but did not elaborate.

His Foreign Ministry Iran did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case. Khadem, who is also known as Sarasadat Khandemalsarieh, arrived in Spain today, according to the img. He did not respond to Reuters’ request to comment, APE-MPE reports.

Newspapers, including Figaro and El Pais, reported last week that Khadem would not return to Iran and would settle in Spain. The threats she received led the organizers to decide to provide her with security with the cooperation of the Kazakh police, resulting in to place four bodyguards outside the hotel room where Hadem resides, the img said.

Hadem is ranked 804th in the world chess rankings, according to the FIDE website. The website for the December 25-30 event lists her as competing in both tournaments.

The Islamic Republic has accused its foreign rivals of inciting the riots that erupted in Iran three months ago after the death of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish Mahsha Amini, who was arrested by morality police for not wearing her hijab properly.

Mahsha Amini’s death set off a chain reaction in Iran, confronting the authorities with one of the biggest challenges since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Within a month of Amini’s death, the protest movement that started in her native Iranian Kurdistan has spread across Iran: to schools, universities and even oil refineries.

Laws mandating the wearing of the hijab have been at the center of protests with a number of Iranian athletes competing in events abroad without wearing the Islamic headscarf.