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Sports climber Elnaz Rekabi has become the latest symbol of the anti-government protests, begun and led by women in Iran. She competed in the Asian Championships in South Korea with her hair uncovered, breaking Iran鈥檚 strict dress code requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab, or headscarf. Although Ms Rekabi later said her hijab had fallen off "inadvertently", the images had already gone viral.

We hear from an Iranian female footballer who was in a similar position a few years ago and speak to a chess referee who took off her own headscarf during a tournament in 2020. Shohreh Bayat had to leave Iran as a result.

鈥淓very day you are fighting this mandatory Hijab,鈥� she tells us. 鈥淓very day you have to show a fake image of yourself and wearing the headscarf it鈥檚 like a prison, it鈥檚 like shackles for slaves.鈥�

It鈥檚 now more than a month since the demonstrations began, following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini who had been arrested by the country鈥檚 so-called morality police. We share messages from young women in Iran and talk to a woman taking part in the protests.

We also bring together three journalists who all had to leave their home country to continue their work. They tell us about censorship, online abuse and threats to their families.

(Photo: Protest in Iran following Mahsa Amini's death, Tehran, Iran Islamic Republic Of - 02 Oct 2022. Credit: STR/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)