AN IRANIAN woman who became known as a “Zombie Angelina Jolie” lookalike has been jailed after sharing creepy pictures online.
Sahar Tabar, 19, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, her lawyer said.
The woman, whose real name is Fatemeh Khishvand, became known on social media after sharing distorted pictures of herself in which she looked like the zombie version of Angelina Jolie.
She gained an Instagram following and was arrested last year.
Tabar was charged with corruption of young people and disrespect for the Islamic Republic, The Guardian reports.
She used make-up and Photohop to post the pictures online, which she claimed she did “as a joke”.
Tabar also denied reports that she had carried out surgery to look like Angelina Jolie.
The 19-year-old said: “This is Photoshop and makeup. Every time I publish a photo, I paint my face in an increasingly funny way.
“It is a way of expressing yourself, a kind of art. My fans know that this is not my real face.
“I did not even think about being like Jolie. Also, I did not want to resemble the cartoon character the Corpse Bride.”
In April this year she begged for freedom after contracting coronavirus, but the US-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran said that a request for bail was denied by a judge.
Human rights lawyer Payam Derafshan said: “We find it unacceptable that this young woman has now caught the coronavirus in these circumstances while her detention order has been extended during all this time in jail.”
Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad said Tabar’s mum “cries every day to get her innocent daughter freed”.
She also called on Angelina Jolie to intervene and help the young woman to be freed.
In a separate video, the journalist said: “The Islamic Republic has a history of tormenting women.
“We need to be united against this gender apartheid.”
Following her arrest last year, Tabar was interviewed on state television and expressed regret over the posts, though many felt she had been coerced into the appearance.
She said: “My mother was telling me to stop, but I didn’t listen.
“Sometimes the words of a stranger or a friend can be more important than those of a parent.”
