'Zombie' Angelina Jolie lookalike 'catches coronavirus in jail'

A "zombie" Angelina Jolie lookalike has caught coronavirus in a notorious jail in Iran, a human rights group says.

Fatemeh Khishvand, who became an Instagram star due to her alleged transformation, is said to be on a ventilator and fighting for her life at Sina Hospital in Tehran.

The 18-year-old was detained in October last year amid a crackdown on Instagram celebrities, and faces charges including "corruption on earth", "encouraging youth to engage in lunacy", "insulting the sacred” and “acquiring illicit income”, said activists calling for her release.

Lawyers for Ms Khishvand, known on Instagram as Sahar Tabar, had begged a judge to free her due to Iran's coronavirus outbreak - the worst in the Middle East - but she was refused bail even though other prisoners have been released following similar concerns.

Lawyer Payam Derafshan told the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI): “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."

Ms Khishvand faces years in prison "for engaging in peaceful freedom of expression on her personal Instagram account", the CHRI added.

Iran has suffered one of the worst outbreaks with almost 78,000 cases and 5,000 deaths reported by Tehran and the country has been accused of grossly under-reporting cases and deaths.

A parliamentary report said the actual number might be almost twice as many and warned that up to 75 per cent of the Iranian population could test positive for Coovid-19 if isolation measures are not implemented.

In a worst-case scenario, as many as 30,000 could die if just 10 per cent of containment measures are in place, the report added.

She claimed she had undergone 50 surgeries to look like Oscar-winning actress Ms Jolie, 44.

But Instagram users dubbed her a "zombie" due to her hollow cheeks, upturned nose and gaunt appearance.

But she later admitted she had achieved the look through the use of make-up and digital editing, and shared photos of her actual appearance.

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Her lawyer, Mr Derafshan, said Judge Mohammad Moghiseh repeatedly denied to release her on bail as the coronavirus outbreak worsened, and the judge is now "unreachable".

Mr Derafshan added: “It’s not the prison director’s fault that she’s behind bars. The responsibility rests with Mr Moghiseh.”

Jail officials denied that she had caught the disease.

But Mr Derafshan said: “It seems like it has become a habit for the authorities to deny everything.

“It makes no sense to deny this.

"The prison director should acknowledge the infection and admit she has been hospitalised.”

He has called on Tehran to release Ms Khishvand and other prisoners who were detained on allegations of committing non-violent crimes.

He added: “Many women in Shahr-e Rey Prison have contacted my colleague and me about the terrible situation inside the prison and the fear that exists among the inmates [due to the coronavirus].

“We want the authorities to issue a general order to allow these prisoners to be temporarily released.

"In the absence of judges who are sick or not coming to work, this is the only solution.”

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The Iran Human Rights Monitor has described Shahre-rey, the prison where Ms Khishvand was detained, as "the most dangerous and worst prison for women" in the country "due to its inhumane medical and psychological conditions".

It said the prison, also known as Qarchak, is located on a former industrial chicken farm in a desert east of Tehran, and falls far below the UN's rules for the treatment of prisoners.

Inmates have complained of disgusting conditions such as contagious diseases, urine-stained floors, insufficient and filthy toilets, contaminated food, foul odours and a lack of ventilation.

It can hold about 2,000 prisoners.

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Last month, Iran temporarily released 85,000 prisoners as it struggled to contain the new strain of coronavirus.