The death sentence of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi has been annulled: now the attention must not wane

The death sentence for Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi has been cancelled accused of “corruption on earth” as recalled by Amnesty International which had launched an appeal to ask for its annulment. And for now the first round has been won, given that the conviction, at least for now, has been annulled and a new trial will come for him. Via the Guardian, the singer’s lawyer wrote: “As expected, the Supreme Court has avoided an irreparable miscarriage of justice” and that the Supreme Court “reiterated that even the previous prison sentence (6 years and three months) did not comply with the rules of the multiplicity of crimes… and is in excess of legal punishment”.

Salehi, as Amnesty International writes, “is a fervent supporter of the anti-government protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, the 22-year-old who lost her life after being placed in custody because she did not wear the veil correctly. In his songs the rapper calls for freedom for those unjustly detained imprisoned and the end of repression. His verses also find space for the denunciation of poverty and corruption”. The rapper had been in prison for a continuous year, except for sporadic periods of freedom for having supported the “Donna Vita Libertà” movement and for some of the contents of his lyrics and had also been subjected to torture and kept in prolonged isolation.

The rapper was arrested in October 2022, in the midst of the uprising over the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by Iranian police and died while in custody. Salehi was arrested and United Nations experts had accused Iranian police of torture after finding the rapper with a broken nose, several fingers and damaged legs. The death sentence immediately sparked international protests from various government and defense groups but also solidarity from artists such as Coldplay and Sting. After the revocation of the death sentence by hanging, the Human Rights Foundation and Salehi’s international legal team, as Rolling Stones USA writes, declared in a statement: “Although the Supreme Court’s decision is an important correction to the cruel treatment and illegal behavior of Mr. Salehi, it is essential that his rights are respected”

The statement continues like this, according to RS: “Mr Salehi’s case has been referred to Branch 1 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court for re-sentencing. Even a shorter period of imprisonment would be an injustice: Salehi has done nothing but ask for respect for his and other Iranians’ fundamental rights. He must be free to continue making his own music and seek the medical care he needs after his imprisonment, free from any continued detention, harassment or persecution.”