Iran’s notorious ‘Zombie Angelina Jolie’ Instagram model has reportedly been released from prison on bail just days after she was sentenced to a decade behind bars over her infamous photos.
Tehran native Fatemeh Khishvand, who goes by the name Sahar Tabar on Instagram, was first arrested by morality police in October 2019 and then handed a 10-year sentence in recent weeks for “promoting public corruption”.
Tabar shot to global prominence in 2017 after posting a dramatic series of heavily edited photographs that portrayed her with a shocking, deathly complexion and extreme features.
The bizarre images led many to compare her to the Corpse Bride cartoon character and to say she was a zombie version of Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie. There were rumors that Tabar had undergone as many as 50 cosmetic surgeries.
Tabar later said the whole thing was a stunt that she pulled off using makeup and photo-editing tools, sharing unedited photos of herself that proved she hadn’t gone to any extreme measures.
“This is Photoshop and makeup. Every time I publish a photo, I paint my face in an increasingly funny way. It’s a way of expressing yourself, a kind of art. My fans know that this is not my real face,” she explained last year.
However, these antics did not sit well with the Iranian authorities, and Tabar was charged with blasphemy, inciting violence, encouraging youths to corruption, and gaining income through inappropriate means, according to the Iranian news agency Tasnim.
Despite being handed a 10-year sentence in recent days, Tabar has now left prison, with US-based Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad crediting “massive media pressure” for her release.
Alinejad shared video footage of a local news report, saying: “Today, Iranian teenager who posted heavily distorted images of herself online and was jailed for 10 years has been freed after massive media pressure.”
Tabar herself has also confirmed to Tasmin that a judge allowed her to be released on bail.
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