Tehran: A prominent Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, who was arrested for supporting anti-hijab protests in 2022, has been sentenced to death on Wednesday, April 24.
Salehi was arrested in October 2022 for supporting the anti-hijab protests movement that erupted after the death of Amini in custody.
In July, 2023, Salehi was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of “enmity against God” and “corruption on earth
On November 18, 2023, he was released on bail when the Supreme Court, in an appeal, ruled that there were “flaws in the original sentence” and referred the matter back to a lower court for further review and maybe a retrial.
Salehi was re-indicted to jail less than two weeks later for allegedly discussing his torture in a video.
“Branch 1 of Isfahan Revolutionary Court… sentenced Toomaj Salehi to death on the charge of corruption on Earth,” the singer’s lawyer Amir Raisian said, quoted by the Shargh Daily.
The Iranian judiciary has not yet confirmed the sentence, and Salehi has 20 days to appeal the ruling.
“We will definitely appeal this verdict,” his lawyer said.
22-year-old, Mahsa Amini died on September 16, 2022, after being arrested in Tehran on charges of violating the strict dress code imposed on women in the Islamic Republic.
Amini’s death sparked nationwide protests, marking the most significant challenge to Iran’s rulers since 1979’s monarchy overthrow.
Seven men have been executed in protest-related cases involving violence against security forces.
