Iran’s Supreme Court overturns death sentence against rapper Toomaj Salehi

Iran’s Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence against well-known rapper Toomaj Salehi. According to his lawyer, he had been imprisoned for over a year and a half for supporting the 2022 protest movement.

“The death sentence (against the rapper) has been overturned, and after the Supreme Court’s appeal decision, the case will be sent back to a similar court,” Me Amir Raissian said on June 22 on the social network X (formerly Twitter). “The Supreme Court has prevented a miscarriage of justice,” he added.

Conviction for “corruption on earth”

The 33-year-old singer, who uses his first name as his stage name, was sentenced to death in April by the Revolutionary Court in Isfahan (central Iran) for “corruption on earth,” one of the most serious charges in Iran.

The verdict sparked widespread protests worldwide and within the country’s artistic community. Support rallies were held in several cities around the world, including Toronto, Paris and Sydney. Supporters of the young artist also launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #SaveToomaj.

In Geneva, independent United Nations experts expressed concern about the death sentence against the rapper and the “alleged ill-treatment” he suffered during his detention.

Charged with incitement to riot

Salehi was arrested in October 2022 and detained in Dastgerd Prison in his home province of Isfahan. He was initially sentenced to six years and three months in prison for “corruption on earth”. He was released in November 2023, but was rearrested about ten days later.

The young rapper had supported the protest movement sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurdish woman who died in custody on September 16, 2022, after being arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women in Iran.

According to his lawyer, the Iranian authorities accused Salehi of “aiding and abetting sedition, assembly and collusion, propaganda against the state and inciting sedition.”

Hundreds dead

During the major protests in Iran in October and November 2022, several hundred people were killed, including members of the security forces, and thousands were arrested before they died down. According to non-governmental organizations, nine people were executed in connection with this protest movement. Six others face execution, according to the non-governmental organization Iran Human Rights.

In April, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on the Iranian authorities to overturn the death sentence against the young rapper and demand his “immediate and unconditional release.”