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Iran TV Aires Confessions Of Detained Instagram Star


Sahar Tabar in one of the photos posted on her Instagram account, showing her after a nose surgery.
Sahar Tabar in one of the photos posted on her Instagram account, showing her after a nose surgery.

Iran's state-run TV aired Tuesday night the "confessions" of a young girl internationally dubbed as "zombie Angelina Joli."

Security forces arrested Fatemeh KH, known as Sahar Tabar, on October 5.
The video of her confession was aired despite the fact that the young star on Instagram has not yet gone on trial.

According to the Iranian Channel Two, Sahar Tabar has been charged with "promoting violence," "disrespecting hijab" and "encouraging corruption among the youth."

Because Instagram is not blocked by the government, it has become a popular platform for young people in Iran to show what is forbidden officially, such as dancing, provocative attire and makeup. Sahar Tabar’s page was mainly showing her visage. Once a page becomes popular, the account holder can also make money from advertising.

In her so-called confession, Sahar Tabar admits that she has heavily photoshopped her images on Instagram in the past three years to charm more followers.

At the time of her arrest, Sahar Tabar had more than 486,000 followers on Instagram. Her account was blocked immediately after her arrest.

I yearned to become famous, Sahar says on the video, adding that since she had an army of followers, she thought that her path was a righteous one, and she intensified her activities.

Sahar, reportedly 22, is said to have had more than fifty cosmetic surgeries, though she has publicly said much of her look comes down to photoshopping, and heavy make-up.

The video aired by the state-run TV presents Sahar as a victim who is suffering from a mental and psychological disorder.

It was not the first time that confessions by Iranian Instagram stars were aired by the state TV. Earlier, similar confessions of dancers and dancing trainers, who had tens of thousands of followers on social media, were also aired.

Although airing the so-called confessions of suspects is illegal before their trial, the Islamic Republic judiciary claims that it has agreed to broadcast them under the pressure of "public requests."

Many Iranian on social media have criticized this kind of TV shows, showing confessions by people under duress.

Meanwhile, many experts believe that the main reason behind airing such confessions is paving the way for blocking Instagram., in the same way Facebook is blocked.

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