• Iranian model Mahlagha Jaberi wore a black dress with a neckline that looks like a noose at the Cannes Film Festival last Friday.

• The 33-year-old was making a statement about the recent spate of executions carried out by Iranian authorities.

• Her outfit went viral online, drawing a mix of both support and outrage.

Model Mahlagha Jaberi made a bold political statement with her outfit at the Cannes Film Festival last Friday, to protest against the recent spate of executions carried out by the Iranian government.

The 33-year-old Iranian showed up on the red carpet in a black bodycon dress with straps that resembled a noose around her neck.

In a post uploaded to her Instagram account @mahlaghajaberi, Jaberi thanked her team and fashion designer Jila Saber for helping her shine a spotlight on the events happening back in her country.

“We wanted to make a fashion statement to observe the glamour of Cannes, but more importantly, to bring media attention to the wrongful executions of Iranian people,” Jaberi wrote in her caption.

“Unfortunately, political statements are not allowed at the film festival and the security stopped me from showing the back of my dress, but the ‘noose’ meaning was well understood,” she said in her post.

She also uploaded another video of her outfit with the caption “Dedicated to the people of Iran.”

The video shows her posing in a dark room while a somber music track plays in the background. The back of her dress, which features a long train with the phrase “Stop Executions,” can be seen in the clip.

Iranian authorities have executed multiple citizens in recent weeks, per the non-governmental organization Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI).

In the first week of May, at least 45 prisoners have been executed in various Iranian prisons for drug-related crimes and murder, HRAI reported on May 5. The report also noted that between January and May this year, at least 192 people — including eight women — have been executed.

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Jaberi’s red carpet outfit set the internet abuzz, drawing a mix of both praise and outrage.

Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, took to Twitter to express his support.

“Another brave woman. Maybe if women were the majority in politics, there would be no more wars? What do you think?” Gerashchenko wrote in his tweet, accompanied by a photo of the model.

Iranian journalist Yashar Ali had a different sentiment and criticized Jaberi for her video in a tweet.

“As innocent Iranians are being executed, @MahlaghaJaberi thought it would be a good idea to wear a dress that has a noose sown into it and then film a seductive video using a song that has become an anthem for protestors,” Ali tweeted. “And then to end the video with “stop executions” and no other context or information makes it unhelpful!”

Jaberi, Gerashchenko, and Ali did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment sent outside of regular working hours.

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