The photographer who took the iconic “green-eyed girl” portrait of an Afghan refugee has vowed to do everything he can to help her – after reports surfaced that she has been arrested.
Officials say Sharbat Gula, who was immortalised on the 1985 cover of National Geographic, has been detained on suspicion of holding fake Pakistani ID papers.
Steve McCurry, who took the famous shot of Sharbat back in the 80s, has said he is “committed to doing anything and everything possible to provide legal and financial support for her and her family.”
The photographer slammed authorities for their “violation of her human rights,” adding that the woman had “suffered throughout her entire life.”
Afghan born Sharbat was photographer as a 12-year-old girl in a refugee camp in north-west Pakistan, during the Soviet occupation of her home country. The image became one of the most recognised magazine covers of all time, but Sharbat still lived in obscurity until Steve tracked her down in 2002.
Since then, the now 36-year-old has moved back to Pakistan, where she lives near the Afghan border.
Taking to social media on Thursday, photographer Steve said he heard from a friend in the area that his former subject had been arrested, and vowed to help in any way he could.
The celebrated photographer has covered war, ancient cultures and traditions, and states on his Instagram profile that he is interested in the “human element.”
