- A popular Iranian rapper has been sentenced to death, his lawyer announced Thursday.
- Toumaj Salehi was sentenced to death by a revolutionary court in Isfahan, a city in central Iran that has recently been the target of Israeli attacks.
- Iran’s revolutionary courts often hold hearings behind closed doors, evidence is kept secret, and people on trial have few rights.
An Iranian rapper who became famous for his lyrics criticizing the Islamic Republic and about the 2022 death of Martha Amini has been sentenced to death, his lawyer and human rights activist announced Thursday.
Confusion over the death sentence of 33-year-old metal shop worker Toumaji Salehi continues, as even Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency and judicial authorities have not officially recognized the death sentence. But the news quickly drew international criticism from U.S. and U.N. experts, who said it was a sign that the Iranian government is continuing its crackdown on all dissent following years of mass protests in the country. .
“Art must be allowed to criticize, provoke and push boundaries in any society,” the U.N. Independent Commission of Experts on Iran said in a statement Thursday.
Popular Iranian rapper sentenced to six years in prison for involvement in protests
The rumor first broke on Wednesday after Iran’s reformist Shahg newspaper reported that Salehi had been sentenced to death by a revolutionary court in Isfahan, a city in central Iran that has recently been the target of Israeli attacks. Ta. Iran’s revolutionary courts often hold hearings behind closed doors, evidence is kept secret, and people on trial have few rights.
A demonstrator holds up a photo of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini on October 2, 2022. An Iranian rapper who became famous for his lyrics criticizing the Islamic Republic and focusing on the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini has been sentenced to death, her lawyer and activists sentenced to her rights said Thursday. (BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)
Salehi’s lawyer, Amir Raisian, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he had received notice of the death sentence against his client. Mr. Raisian plans to appeal, he said.
Salehi’s case stems from Amini’s death in 2022 after she was arrested for not wearing the hijab preferred by police. U.N. investigators hold Iran responsible for Amini’s death, following a months-long security crackdown that violently suppressed largely peaceful protests that left more than 500 people dead and more than 22,000 detained. said that it was done.
Salehi rapped about Amini in one video, saying, “Someone’s crime was dancing with her hair blowing in the wind.”
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In another passage, he predicts the fall of Iran’s theocracy. “Your past is all dark, a government that took the light out of your eyes. … We will get from the base of the pyramid to the top. … 44 years of your administration, this is the year.” Of failure. ”
His other songs include crude criticism of the all-volunteer Basij unit of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards and references to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Salehi was initially sentenced to six years in prison, but was released after Iran’s Supreme Court referred the case back to a lower court, citing flaws in the original sentence.
Salehi was released on bail, but was re-arrested in November after he said in a video message that he had been tortured after his arrest in October 2022. State media at the time released a video showing Mr. Salehi blindfolded and apologizing for his remarks, which were likely made under duress.
Iran’s judiciary did not recognize the death sentence, but IRNA cited “reports” in which he was sentenced to death.
It is highly unusual for a commutation to be revoked and a death sentence to be handed down, and may indicate how seriously Iran’s theocracy took Salehi’s comments. This comes in light of the fact that other journalists, activists and musicians have also been targeted since the Women, Lives and Freedom protests surrounding Amini. An Iranian singer who won a Grammy Award presented by US First Lady Jill Biden has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for singing the national anthem in support of the 2022 protests.
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Activists immediately criticized the ruling.
“This grotesque manipulation of the judicial process is aimed at silencing dissent,” said Hadi Ghami of the New York-based Iranian Center for Human Rights. “Mr. Tumasi’s imprisonment stems from his vocal defense of state repression. It is imperative that free speech supporters and opponents unite to demand his immediate release.”
The ruling also drew criticism from Washington.
“This is just one example of the Iranian regime’s horrific and widespread human rights violations,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said Wednesday. “We once again condemn the Iranian regime’s use of the death penalty as a tool to suppress people’s human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
