TEHRAN (CelebrityAccess) — An Iranian rapper who made a name for himself with his lyrics criticizing the Islamic Republic following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, has reportedly been sentenced to death, his lawyer told the Associated Press.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency and its judiciary have not formally confirmed the death sentence against Toomaj Salehi, but the story was first reported by Iran’s pro-reform Shargh newspaper, which said that the death sentence was imposed by a Revolutionary Court in Isfahan, a city in Central Iran that was recently targeted by an Israeli attack.
Salehi’s lawyer, Amir Raisian, told the Associated Press on Thursday that he had been notified of the sentence against his client and stated that he planned to file an appeal.
Salahi’s sentencing follows Amini’s death in 2022 after her arrest by police for failing to properly wear a hijab. In the wake of her death, Salahi released rap videos that criticized the government, the Basij wing of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the AP reported.
Salahi was initially sentenced to 6 years in prison but the sentence was later rejected by Iran’s Supreme Court over flaws in the original sentencing. Salahi was released on bail but re-arrested in November after he released a video claiming he was tortured after his arrest in 2022.
“This is just another example of the Iranian regime’s horrific and pervasive human rights abuses,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told the Associated Press on Wednesday. “We once again condemn the Iranian regime’s … use of the death sentence as a tool to suppress people’s human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
.jpg){kind=link}