Fatemeh Khishvand, an Iranian woman, popularly known around the web sphere as Sahar Tabar has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Marjiya Baktyer reports.
In 2017, Tabar caught the wave to viral fame with photos that showed the young woman looking like a “zombified” Angelina Jolie. It is alleged that the sentencing was based on charges of corruption of young people and disrespecting the Islamic Republic.
It was widely believed that the images were the result of extreme surgery. However, Khishvand later explained that she was able to produce the look through makeup and editing software. The doctored images garnered internet stardom for the young woman abroad and subsequently made her a target at home where she was incarcerated under Iran’s strict public decency laws in late 2019. Her Instagram page was deleted in 2019 as well.
Last October, Tabar was seen confessing to her alleged crimes on Iranian state TV and pleading for her release in the spring on the grounds that she was infected with the coronavirus. Iran has banned several major social media networks in the country, including Facebook and Twitter.
According to a tweet by Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, “Her joke landed her in jail,” Alinejad also called for Jolie to intervene on Tabar’s behalf. Tabar is reportedly hoping to appeal her sentence.
Marjiya Baktyer Ahmed is a poet and a writer, and is currently working as the Sub Editor of ICE Business Times.