Toomaj Salehi, a famous Iranian rapper, has been sentenced to death for « corruption on earth » after supporting the 2022 protests in Iran. This 33-year-old artist is at risk of being hanged. Arrested in October 2022, he had expressed his support for the protest movement triggered after the death on September 16, 2022 of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish Iranian woman detained by the morality police for violating the strict dress code imposed on women.
The verdict of the revolutionary court in Isfahan, reported by a local Iranian media on Wednesday, quoting the rapper’s lawyer and still subject to appeal, stunned Iranian NGOs and activists as it contradicted a previous decision of the Supreme Court. According to UN experts, the rapper was initially sentenced to six years in prison before being ordered to be released. However, he was arrested again in November.
« This is a grotesque manipulation of the judicial process, » accused Hadi Ghaemi, director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) based in New York, stating that the verdict was aimed at « silencing dissent ». Supporters of the young artist have launched a campaign on social media under the hashtag #SaveToomaj. « This is terrible news and we must all speak out and do everything in our power to #SaveToomaj. He is a national hero, » wrote British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi on X.
The verdict comes amid increased repression in Iran, particularly against women, and a sharp increase in executions. According to Amnesty International, 853 people were executed in 2023, a 48% increase from 2022. Since the beginning of the year, 130 people have already been executed, according to the IHR NGO based in Norway.
The verdict against Salehi came shortly after the sentencing of another rapper, Saman Yasin, to five years in prison. He had initially been sentenced to death. According to his lawyer, he was tortured and forced to make false confessions. « We call for their immediate release, » said US Deputy Special Envoy on Iran, Abram Paley. The convictions of the two rappers « are the latest examples of the regime’s brutality against its own citizens, its disregard for human rights, and its fear of the democratic change hoped for by Iranians. »
Despair
The death sentence of Toomaj Salehi was denounced on Thursday, April 25, by France, Italy, and experts from a UN working group. France denounced an « unacceptable » decision « in addition to the many other death sentences and unjustifiable executions related to the protests of autumn 2022 in Iran. » Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani « strongly condemned » the decision of the Iranian judiciary. Several organizations have called for a rally in Paris on Sunday to demand his release in a tribune entitled « We must save rapper Toomaj. »
In Geneva, ten independent UN experts denounced this verdict. « As harsh as Toomaj Salehi’s songs may be towards the government, they are a manifestation of artistic freedom and cultural rights, » they said in a statement signed by five special rapporteurs and the five members of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. They are « alarmed by the imposition of the death penalty and the alleged mistreatment of Mr. Salehi which appears to be solely related to his exercise of the right to artistic expression and creativity. »
Several hundred people, including members of the security forces, were killed and thousands were arrested during the protests that took place in October and November 2022 in Iran, before subsiding. Nine people have been executed in connection with this uprising, according to NGOs. Six others are at risk of imminent execution, according to IHR (Iran Human Rights). These convictions are « a sign of desperation by the regime of the Islamic Republic and its fear of popular dissent, » said IHR director Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam.
