Iran has sentenced a famous Iranian rapper to death for supporting protests in 2022-2023, Reuters reports.
However, the judicial authorities specified that Toomaj Salehi is entitled to a reduced sentence.
Salehi’s lawyer, Amir Raisian, announced yesterday that Iran’s revolutionary court had sentenced his client to death on charges related to the country’s unrest two years ago.
Salehi was arrested in October 2022 after making public statements in support of nationwide protests sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman from Iran detained for wearing an “inappropriate” hijab.
Today, the judiciary’s media department confirmed Salehi’s death sentence based on charges of “corruption on the ground”, but clarified that the sentence entitles the defendant to a reduced sentence upon his “expression of remorse and cooperation with the authorities”.
Salehi has 20 days to appeal his sentence to the Supreme Court. If the court decision is upheld, the Judicial Amnesty Commission will review the case and possibly commute his sentence.
In 2023, Iran’s Supreme Court dismissed charges against Salehi of “corruption of the land” – a capital offense under the country’s Islamic law. However, the decision has not been implemented, which Salehi’s lawyer called an “unprecedented move” by the justice system.
The hashtag FreeToomaj is trending on social networks like X, with users calling for Salehi’s immediate release.
