Eight deeply concentrated chess players sit and move the pieces around at a breakneck pace. The world’s elite have gathered in Iceland to elect a world champion in fischer chess, and Shohreh Bayat is one of those responsible for ensuring that the players follow the rules. On the first day of the World Cup, the public got to see something as rare as a referee protest. – I want to show my support for the Iranian people and show that we stand together, says Bayat to news. REFEREES: Shoreh Bayat is a referee during the World Championship in fischer chess. Photo: JØRUND WESSEL CARLSEN / news Extensive protests She is an experienced chess judge and a well-known voice in the fight for women’s rights. That is why the rebellion in the homeland means extra. – I’m not feeling so well. There is a lot going on in Iran now, and I try to stay positive. Part of the positivity is the T-shirt with the inscription “women, life, freedom” in the Iranian colors. It is a motto used in the extensive protests around the world over the past few weeks. It started when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police after she was arrested for breaking the strict dress codes in the country. – She was killed for not wearing a hijab. They have killed many innocent women. We are a peaceful people, and only want basic rights for how we want to live and what we should wear, Bayat says sadly. According to the human rights organization Hrana, several hundred people have been killed in or after demonstrations in Iran. All over the world there have been commemorations in recent weeks. On Sunday, over 80,000 took part in a protest march in Berlin. New York, Oslo, Stockholm and Beirut have also had similar demonstrations. “WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM”: The slogan is used in the demonstrations against the regime in Iran. Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP Unwanted in her homeland She has not been to Iran since January 2020. Shohreh Bayat does not dare to go home for fear of her own safety. When she was a World Cup referee in 2020, the Iranian authorities reacted to her not covering her hair sufficiently. – I tried to wear the hijab in a loose way, but received threats and was required to apologize publicly and put the hijab on properly. I was condemned in the media, and the authorities listed several demands for me to be allowed to return home. But no matter what she did, she knew that it would be unsafe to return to her homeland. – Then I decided to stand up for my values. Many in Iran supported me and decided against me. I have received so much support, so now I want to show that I stand with them, she says to news. – She is brave. It’s also a bit brave of the organizers – that they let her go with it. I think it’s very nice, says news’s chess expert Sheila Barth Stanford about the Iranian WC referee.
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