Iran's top female athlete Kimia Alizadeh defects
Amid rising unrest in Iran following the accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian plane and simmering tensions with the USA, Iran's only female Olympic medallist, Taekwondo athlete Kimia Alizadeh, has announced that she has defected, DW reported.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, the 21-year-old said she didn't want to be a part of "hypocrisy, lies, injustice and flattery" as "one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran".
"I wore whatever they told me and repeated whatever they ordered. Every sentence they ordered I repeated. None of us matter for them, we are just tools," she added.
Alizadeh, who made history when she won bronze in Taekwondo at the Rio Olympics as an 18-year-old, is believed to be training in the Netherlands, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.
She has claimed in the past that the Islamic Republic has used her as a propaganda tool and accused Iranian officials of sexism and mistreatment.
The ISNA agency reported that Alizadeh is hoping to still compete at the Tokyo Olympics later this year, but not under the Iranian flag.
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:
Newsfeed
17:13
Andre's wife shares first photos with baby amid divorce rumors
Armenian musician Andre’s wife, singer Ani Ohanyan, has shared the first photos of their baby daughter on social media.
The photos...
Source Panorama.am
16:45
Azerbaijan declares December 26 day of mourning after plane crash
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared December 26 a day of mourning following a deadly crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane,...
Source Panorama.am
16:22
Pashinyan says again tested positive for Covid
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has again tested positive for Covid-19.
“My Covid test again came back positive. I'll be...
Source Panorama.am
15:45
Turkey plans to open consulate in Aleppo
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday announced that his country will open its Aleppo consulate soon, less than two weeks after...
Source Panorama.am
15:35
Yerevan to see light snow later this week
Dry weather is expected in Armenia's regions on Wednesday and Thursday.
Wintry showers are forecast for the country on Friday and over...
Source Panorama.am
14:53
Opposition MP: Pashinyan preparing to fulfil more Azerbaijani demands
Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a senior member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and an opposition Hayastan faction MP, accused Armenian...
Source Panorama.am
13:59
Pashinyan offers condolences to families of Azerbaijani plane crash victims
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has extended condolences to the families of the Azerbaijani passenger jet crash victims....
Source Panorama.am
13:36
Kremlin hopes Pashinyan will join EAEU summit via video link
Russia hopes that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will participate in the upcoming meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic...
Source Panorama.am
13:23
28 people survive Azerbaijani jet crash in Kazakhstan
An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet with 67 people on board crashed on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan after veering from its scheduled route,...
Source Panorama.am
13:05
Finance minister: Armenia's public debt expected to reach 50% of GDP in 2024
Armenia’s public debt is expected to amount to approximately 50% of GDP by the end of 2024, with an economic growth...
Source Panorama.am
12:35
MP calls out Pashinyan government's failure to handle security challenges
Opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan criticized Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government for mishandling national security...
Source Panorama.am
12:06
Syria's new FM tells Iran not to spread chaos in Syria
Syria's newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, told Iran on Tuesday not to spread chaos in Syria but to respect the...
Source Panorama.am
11:55
Aliyevs own many buildings in London valued at hundreds of millions of dollars
By Harut Sassounian
TheCaliforniaCourier.com
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) selected Pres. Ilham Aliyev in...
Source Panorama.am
11:41
Black ice warning issued for drivers in Armenia's Syunik
The Rescue Service has warned drivers about a road closure in Armenia on Wednesday morning.
In particular, the road linking the Amberd high...
Source Panorama.am
11:32
Pashinyan to skip informal CIS summit due to Covid
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced his decision to skip the informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent...
Source Panorama.am
11:10
U.S. responds to Aliyev’s allegations about arms supplies to Armenia
U.S. military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be used for “offensive purposes,” the State Department said on Tuesday,...
Source Panorama.am
17:00
No Putin-Pashinyan meeting planned in St. Petersburg – Kremlin
A separate meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is not planned on the sidelines of the...
Source Panorama.am
16:45
Blast at Turkey ammunition factory kills at least 12 people
An explosion at an ammunition and explosives factory in north-west Turkey has killed at least 12 people and injured four others, BBC News...
Source Panorama.am
16:35
Best Armenian athletes of the year revealed
Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports has named the best athletes of the year.
The winners have been selected...
Source Panorama.am
15:54
'We only need a competent leader': Armenians deplore plans to reduce working hours
Armenia’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has proposed reducing working hours from eight to seven hours per day, which would not...
Source Panorama.am
15:06
Putin to attend EAEU meeting chaired by Pashinyan
Russian President Vladimir Putin has left for St. Petersburg, where he will hold meetings with CIS heads of state and government in the coming...
Source Panorama.am
14:23
Ex-ombudsman: Pashinyan's team using 'peace' propaganda to stay in power
The leaders of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party has transformed the “peace” propaganda into...
Source Panorama.am
13:30
Russian cargo ship sinks in Mediterranean after explosion
A Russian cargo ship has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria after an explosion in its engine room, the Guardian reported on...
Source Panorama.am
13:19
Yerevan City Council member resigns
Areg Gevorgyan has stepped down as a member of the Yerevan City Council representing the ruling Civil Contract faction.
At a meeting of the...
Source Panorama.am
12:42
Income-earning jobs amounted to 782,832 in Armenia in November
According to the income tax and social payment declarations submitted by taxpayers for November 2024, the number of income-generating jobs...
Source Panorama.am
12:16
Opposition MP: Pashinyan's comments confirm Artsakh issue remains unresolved
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s latest comments on Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) confirm that the Artsakh issue remains unresolved,...
Source Panorama.am
11:35
Kremlin denies reports Bashar al-Assad's wife is seeking divorce
The British-born wife of deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is not seeking a divorce, a Kremlin spokesman has said.
Reports in Turkish...
Source Panorama.am
11:15
Authorities warn of black ice on Syunik roads
The Rescue Service has warned drivers about a road closure in Armenia on Tuesday morning.
In particular, the road linking the Amberd...
Source Panorama.am
11:03
Armenian church commemorates St. Stephen the Protomartyr
The Armenian Apostolic Church on Tuesday commemorates St. Stephen, the first deacon and proto martyr.
After Christ’s ascension,...
Source Panorama.am
17:00
Artur Vanetsyan to be a guest on Imnemnimi podcast on December 25
Artur Vanetsyan, the leader of the Homeland Party and the former director of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS), will be a guest on...
Source Panorama.am
Videos
17:32 20/02/2023
Artur Vanetsyan: I think you'll see me more often at various events in future
17:35 20/02/2023
Armenian expert: U.S. stance on Karabakh remains unchanged
13:59 09/02/2023
Premature births increase in Artsakh due to stress
12:43 09/01/2023
Snow-covered Yerevan
15:41 15/12/2022
Gegham Stepanyan calls for sanctions against criminal Azerbaijan
11:45 29/11/2022
Memorial plaque honoring Yeghishe Charents inaugurated in Yerevan
