Martina Navratilova expresses solidarity with women of Iran in their fight against Hijab mandates

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2021 WTA Finals - Day 8
Martina Navratilova. (Pic - Getty Images)

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has expressed solidarity with women in Iran in the wake of a series of protests about enforcing the hijab and the larger issue of women's bodily autonomy.

At least 11 people have been killed in protests after the funeral of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, who died in custody after being detained by Iran's moral police.

Martina Navratilova, who has always been vocal on various social issues, expressed solidarity with women in Iran and linked a New York Times opinion piece about the situation in Iran in her tweet.

"Solidarity with women everywhere, but particularly with women in Iran right now!!!" Navratilova tweeted.

Martina Navratilova has historically been vocal on social issues

Martina Navratilova at the WTA's "Her Health Advantage" event. (Pic - Getty Images)
Martina Navratilova at the WTA's "Her Health Advantage" event. (Pic - Getty Images)

The former World No. 1 has always been vocal on social media on pressing social issues.

She recently lashed out at Steven Crowder, an American-Canadian conservative political commentator, for his remarks where he stated that victims of rape are "sexually desirable."

Jason Campbell, a Senior Researcher for Media Matters for America, posted a short clip of Crowder's talk show where he talked about how a sexually desirable woman is most likely to be the victim of rape. He also added how a certain section of the community usually comes out as a rape victim.

Martina Navratilova took to Twitter to vent her ire over the comments made by the conservative commentator.

"What a f**king prick!!! How does an a**wipe like this have a show?!?"

In another instance, Navratilova expressed shock at chess world champion Magnus Carlsen accusing fellow player Hans Niemann of cheating. Carlsen is a Norwegian grandmaster and a five-time World Chess Champion. He also holds the highest peak rating (2882) in the history of the sport.

Navratilova reacted to Carlsen's statement of calling out Niemann, terming it a "serious accusation" and "if true" it could lead to a "scandal."

She has also always been open about her views on abortion. Earlier this year in June, the United States Supreme Court reversed the landmark 1973 judgment Roe vs Wade by a majority of 6-3. The judgment ruled that abortion was considered a constitutional right, and in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, women in America had the choice of getting an abortion.

However, overturning the landmark judgment allowed all 50 states in the country to decide whether to ban abortion or not. The 65-year-old was far from pleased with the ruling, stating that she felt like she was back in a totalitarian country where she grew up (Czechoslovakia).