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Picture courtesy: (Toomaj Shared image o X) the Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi.
The famous Iranian rapper Tooma Salehi, who was allegedly arrested on October 23, 2022, after protests that took place, was a sign to support the late 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini. Whowas brutally killed at the hands of the police. The woman was arrested first for wearing an improper hijab; she spent the remaining days of her life in police custody.
However, her death spread like wildfire nationwide, where people stood for protests in which it was their way to support women wearing hijab. The death of Mahsa shocked the world, and Toomaj Salehi contributed to the protests through his lyrics and music, but it didn’t end well for the rapper for being part of the anti-government protests, which resulted in the unrest. Salehi’s lawyer, Amir Raesian, confirmed that his client’s for being part of protests was sentenced to death capital by an Iranian revolutionary court on Wednesday, April 24.
According to the report by Andre, the famous rapper was sentenced in July 2023 to six years and three months in prison after avoiding capital punishment in a Supreme Court ruling for the first time. However, in January, Isfahan’s Revolutionary Court accused Salehi of adding extra charges in addition to those he had been acquitted of earlier.In addition to the report by Rhonda Andre Rhoden-Paul, Jayar Gol, Following his sentencing to six years in prison in 2023, he was released on bail in November of the same year.
However, he was taken into custody a few days later on charges of sharing false claims without evidence. In apparent reference to a video message he posted claiming to have been tortured and pressured by intelligence ministry agents, Iranian police have intensified their presence on the streets to enforce Islamist dress codes for women.
The sentence was issued by an Islamic revolutionary court and appears to be a calculated message signaling the regime’s strength and determination to suppress any form of dissent.The lawyer Amir Raesian said that the revolutionary court ignored the Supreme Court’s ruling for clemency and instead issued new charges before handing down the harshest punishment.
The rapper used to be fearless in voicing out his thoughts and opinions through music and lyrics. On the different platforms of social media. Which finds fault with how Iran was turned into corruption and discord by its own leadership.His lawyer is determined to change the verdict by applying for an appeal in court, as he was left with the remaining 20 days to appeal. The authorities of Iran remain silent without any concern.
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