An Iranian court sentenced outspoken rapper Toomaj Salehi to death after his arrest over songs that criticized the government, his lawyer said Wednesday.
"The primary court sentenced Toomaj Salehi to the
harshest punishment, death, on the charge of 'corruption on Earth,'"
Salehi's lawyer, Amir Raesian, said in an interview with Iranian news outlet
Shargh Daily.
The sentence by the Islamic Republic Revolution Court of
Isfahan contradicted an Iranian Supreme Court ruling that said Salehi’s case
qualified for amnesty, Raesian said. The lawyer criticized the “obvious legal
conflicts” in the revolutionary court’s decision. “We will definitely appeal
this sentence,” he added.
Salehi, who has been arrested multiple times by Iranian
forces, frequently called out the regime’s corruption and suppression of
dissent in his music and shamed the regime’s apologists who “whitewash” those
crimes. He is one of the most prominent artists arrested by the Iranian regime
over the past few years for his work.
In one popular song, “The Mouse Hole,” Salehi addresses
those who collaborate with the Islamic Republic, warning that they better find
a place to hide as they will be punished soon for their wrongdoings.
"Corporate journalist, cheap informer, court artist,
buy a mouse hole," the lyrics read.
Despite being arrested and released in 2021 for releasing
songs denouncing the government, Salehi continued to post music videos
expressing his opposition to the Iranian regime.
In 2022, he voiced support for protests in Iran that were
sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who died in police custody
after she was arrested for allegedly not complying with the country's hijab
laws.
Iranian rap music has become a vehicle for criticism of the
regime amid the protests, placing several rap stars in the crosshairs of the
regime.
Despite the regime’s crackdown, news of Salehi’s sentence
drew a wave of support from across the Iranian music world.
Mehdi Yarrahi, an Iranian pop singer, described Salehi's
sentence as a "black comedy" in a post on X. Yarrahi himself was
arrested last August by the Islamic Republic for his songs in support of the
Mahsa Amini protests.
"Release my brother unconditionally, or the smoke of
this fire will burn your eyes," he wrote Wednesday, joining many other
Iranians demanding Salehi's freedom.
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