Who is Toomaj Salehi? Know about Iranian rapper awarded death sentence

In a development that raises questions against the Islamic regime of Iran, rapper Toomaj Salehi has been awarded a death sentence for supporting anti-government protests, reports CNN. His songs allegedly supported the nationwide anti-government protest in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. Mahsa Amini was detained for wearing an "improper" hijab.

First arrested in 2022

The police first arrested Salehi and charged him with numerous offenses in October 2022 after he made public statements in support of protests. An Iranian court sentenced him to six years and three months in prison in July 2023.

Fresh charges

Isfahan's Revolutionary Court slapped Salehi with fresh charges in January this year in addition to those he had been acquitted of earlier. It ignored Supreme Court's ruling for clemency and issued new charges before handing down "the harshest punishment". According to Iranian pro-reform news outlets 'Shargh' and 'Entekhab', a court in Isfahan reversed the higher Supreme Court’s decision on Saleh’s case.

Guilty of 'armed rebellion'

The court said that Salehi was found guilty of many charges including corruption on earth, armed rebellion, assembly and collusion, propaganda against the ruling establishment and inciting a riot.

Salehi has been outspoken against the government in rap lyrics and on social media. He was released from prison last year before police rearrested him and sent him to prison in Isfahan. He was rearrested after appearing in a video in which he claimed that he was tortured in police custody and placed in solitary confinement for 252 days.

Salehi can appeal against the verdict within 20 days. It is believed that the verdict of the death sentence to is a subtle and calculated message to suppress any form of dissent.

According to pro-reform news outlet IranWire, Kurdish-Iranian rapper Saman Yasin, who was also arrested at the height of 2022’s protests in Iran, was transferred to a psychiatric hospital two times in less than a year,

FAQs:

When was rapper Toomaj Salehi first arrested?
The police first arrested Salehi and charged him with numerous offenses in October 2022 after he made public statements in support of protests.

Why was Salehi awarded a death sentence?
The court said that Salehi was found guilty of many charges including corruption on earth, armed rebellion, assembly and collusion, propaganda against the ruling establishment and inciting a riot.