On April 24, 2024, Toomaj Salehi (33 years old), an Iranian hip-hop artist who is well-known for his protest songs about Iran’s social problems and the government’s policies, was sentenced to death according to CNN.
According to his lawyer, as reported by Iran’s newspaper Sharq, Salehi was convicted on charges related to the 2022-23 “Women, Life, and Freedom” movement in Iran, which was sparked by his death on September 16, 2022, of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman named Mahsa Amini who was arrested by the “morality police” and taken to a “re-education center” for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly.
On September 12, 2021, Mr. Salehi was initially taken into custody by Iranian security personnel at his home in Shahin Shahr, close to Isfahan. He was accused of “insulting the supreme leadership authority” and spreading propaganda against the regime. On September 21, he was given bail and freed pending trial.
Salehi was sentenced to six months in prison and a fine by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shahin Shahr on January 23, 2022.
On October 30, 2022, Salehi was taken into custody once more amid the Mahsa Amini protest. He was named by the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency as one of “the leaders of the riots who promoted violence.”
Iranian media reported on November 27, 2022, that Salehi was accused of “corruption on Earth,” a crime for which the death sentence is possible. In addition to these charges, Salehi was charged with inciting violence, collaborating with a hostile government, and disseminating propaganda.
Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan declared on July 10, 2023, that Salehi’s accusation of “corruption on earth” had not been proven, and as a result, he was sentenced to six years in jail under Article 286 of the Islamic Penal Code.
In November 2023, Salehi was freed on bail when the Supreme Court of Iran overturned his six-year jail term and remanded it to the court of first instance. Twelve days later, Salehi was rearrested again by Iranian security forces, who allegedly tortured and imprisoned him in solitary confinement.
Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan convened a fresh trial for Salehi on April 18, 2024. According to Raeesian, the prosecution brought new accusations to the case, and in the end, Salehi was found guilty and given the death penalty for the “corruption on earth” offence by the court.
Salehi’s cousin Azadeh Babadi claims that Salehi was not allowed to have a lawyer. Babadi thinks the evidence is being fabricated by the Iranian regime.
Tara Sepehri Far, senior Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated, “Iran’s revolutionary court judges act like they are empowered to assault citizens’ basic rights and make a mockery of any existing legal safeguards. The shocking decision rendered against Toomaj Salehi is only the most recent example of Iran’s cruel legal system. He needs to be freed right now.”
Ye-One Rhie, a member of parliament from Germany, and Jonathan Wilkinson, a member of parliament from Canada, have joined Salehi as political backers to improve his situation and prevent his execution.
Ye-One Rhie, a member of parliament from Germany, described Salehi’s execution as “absurd and inhumane.”
She tweeted on Wednesday, saying, “It is still completely unclear how this verdict came about.” The Iranian regime’s careless and arbitrary treatment of defendants is astounding. The confusion surrounding the ruling courts makes it hard to respect the rule of law.
One of Salehi’s attorneys, Amir Raeesian, said that the decision had serious legal mistakes, including a contradiction of the opinion from the Supreme Court. They will appeal the verdict, he stated.
The Iranian government has not responded to this.