An Iranian rapper named Toomaj Salehi has been sentenced to death by a revolutionary court in Isfahan, as confirmed by his legal representative.
Salehi’s involvement in advocating for anti-hijab demonstrations led to this severe punishment.
Renowned for his bold lyrics and outspoken critiques of the Iranian authorities and elite, Salehi gained prominence as a key figure supporting protests after the tragic death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody in September 2022.
“We are horrified at this outrageous death sentence,” said Nassim Papayianni, a campaigner for Amnesty International. “His trial before a revolutionary court in Isfahan was grossly unfair.”
At least eight people have been executed in Iran over charges related to the Amini protests. Several people remain on death row.
“We are seeing the authorities in Iran continue to wield the death penalty as a tool of political repression to stifle and instill fear in the public as an attempt to keep their grip on power,” Papayianni said.
In September 2022, Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, was arrested by the morality police for reportedly wearing her hijab incorrectly.
Tragically, she was subjected to severe beatings which resulted in her death, leading to widespread protests across the country that lasted for several months. Salehi captured this moment in a song titled “Battlefield.”
“We turn a deaf ear to the dictator with the instrument of women’s rights, life freedom./We fight to the death,” he rapped.
On October 30th, 2022, security forces swooped in on the location where he had sought refuge, apprehending him and two companions.
Several days thereafter, Iranian state media unveiled a distressing video of him, with a bloodied face and eyes covered, confessing to an error in judgment. Following over a year of imprisonment, the Supreme Court of Iran identified flaws in Salehi’s case and granted his release.
However, his freedom was short-lived as he was re-arrested two weeks later on fresh allegations of “propaganda against the state.”
His latest death sentence — handed down by an Isfahan revolutionary court — was described as “unprecedented” by his attorney, who said they would appeal the ruling.
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