Iranian comedian Zeinab Mousavi—who was arrested in October 2022 on unknown charges—has been sentenced to two years in prison, according to Iranian NGO Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The 33-year-old was arrested by security forces from her home in Qoms and kept in solitary confinement for 25 days before briefly being allowed out on bail, she wrote in a now deleted social media post as reported by HRANA. The charges on which she was arrested or convicted are unknown, but the arrest came soon after she released a video to mark International Day Of The Girl that featured a satirical sketch on how women should kill themselves before the Iranian regime does it for them.

Mousavi became a viral sensation on Instagram, gaining over 800,000 followers, as the ‘Empress of Kuzcooo’, a character known for wearing a hijab showing only her nose and parodying sermons given by hardliners. The computer software graduate also grabbed headlines when she entered a standup comedy competition run by the Iranian state television and was elected to perform on TV, becoming Iran’s first popular female comedian.

The sketch that preceded her arrest was widely seen as a response to the death of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami, who had posted a video on Instagram of her burning her headscarf and chanting “Death to [the] dictator.” Though the Iranian government has claimed that her death was a suicide, the suspicious circumstances around the event—including allegations that her body was stolen and buried by security forces—have led many to discredit that claim.

Mousavi’s sentencing comes as the Iranian courts rush to convict and sentence many of the over 18,000 people arrested during the anti-government protests that have rocked Iran in the three months since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police. Iran has already executed two protesters earlier this month, and just this week arrested prominent Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti—whose credits include Oscar-winner The Salesman—for social media posts expressing solidarity with the protests.

Iranian-American comedian Sarah Fatemi, a vocal supporter of Mousavi, has been leading the charge for her release. Earlier this week, she sent a note to Sarah Silverman—who then discussed the Iran protests on The Sarah Silverman Podcast—asking others in the comedy community to stand up and support Mousavi and other Iranians protesting for their rights.