Iran overturns death sentence against rapper known for lyrics about death of protester Mahsa Amini – Hartford Courant

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence against government critic and popular hip-hop artist Toomaj Salehi, who rose to fame for his lyrics about the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, his lawyer Amir Raisian said Saturday.

In a post on social media platform X, Raisian said the court had reviewed the case and found Salehi’s last six years in prison “excessive” as the sentence was higher than what is allowed by law. He added that another division of the court would now review the case.

Salehi’s death sentence in April by a revolutionary court in the central Iranian city of Isfahan caused confusion, as even Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency and the judiciary did not officially confirm it. Such courts in Iran often hold closed-door hearings, with evidence presented by a secretary, and defendants have limited rights.

The news quickly drew international criticism from the United States and United Nations experts, who condemned it as a sign that Tehran is continuing to crack down on all dissent after years of mass protests.

Salehi was released from prison last November after spending a year there. The charges, which his supporters say were brought against him, were based on the hip-hop artist’s music and his participation in the protests that broke out in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Amini died in the custody of the country’s morality police after she was arrested for wearing her hijab too loosely.

In one video, Salehi rapped about Amini, saying, “Someone’s crime was dancing with her hair in the wind.” In another verse, he predicts the downfall of the Iranian theocracy.

Shortly after his release last year, Salehi was sent back to prison after saying in a video message that he was tortured after his detention in October 2022. State media released a video at the time showing him blindfolded and apologizing for his words – a statement that was likely made under duress. Later in 2023, a court sentenced Salehi to more than six years in prison.

United Nations investigators say Iran is responsible for Amini’s death, violently suppressing largely peaceful protests with a months-long crackdown by security forces that left more than 500 people dead and more than 22,000 arrested.