A human rights group called Friday for Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi to be protected after she was reportedly placed under house arrest for competing abroad without a hijab.

Rekabi competed last weekend in South Korea without wearing a headscarf, which is mandatory in Iran and a subject of nationwide protests sparked by the death Mahsa Amini.

Amini, 22, died last month after being arrested by the country’s notorious “morality police” for allegedly not properly covering her hair.

Rekabi’s act of what seemed to be open defiance has been described as a lightning-rod event in Iran. Activists say it lends support to the anti-government protests.

The Iranian rights group HRANA estimated Thursday that over 12,500 people have been arrested during the protests and 244 killed.

Read more: Times of Israel