Isfahan Iran – An Iranian court has sentenced a famous Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi to death, local media reported on Wednesday. He had been imprisoned for more than a year and a half for his support for the 2022 protest movement, triggered after the death of Mahsa Amini. The young Iranian Kurd died after being arrested by the moral police, who accused her of having violated the strict dress code for women.
“The revolutionary court of Isfahan sentenced Toomaj Salehi to the death penalty for corruption on Earth”, one of the most serious charges in Iran, indicated the singer’s lawyer, Amir Raisian, quoted by the daily Shargh. The revolutionary court accuses him of “incitement to sedition, assembly, conspiracy, propaganda against the system and call for riots”, according to the lawyer.
Foreign Artists Had Given Him Their Support
The 33-year-old rapper was arrested in October 2022. He had supported, via his songs and on social networks, the protest movement triggered after the death on September 16, 2022 of Mahsa Amini. Then, he received support from foreign musicians who feared he might receive a death punishment.
Many were detained and a number of people, especially members of the security services, were slain during Iran’s October and November 2022 protests before the situation subsided. NGOs claim that nine persons were put to death in relation to this rebellion.
As a reminder, according to the annual report by Iran Human Rights and Ensemble Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), executions in Iran increased considerably in 2023, with 834 cases. An increase of 43% in one year. Also note that there have already been, according to ECPM, 126 executions in Iran since January…
