Rapper Toomaj Salehi Given Death Sentence By Iranian Court

Bruce Haring
·1 min read

A lawyer for Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi said his client has been given a death sentence for his involvement in the protests that swept Iran in 2022.

“An order for the execution of Toomaj Salehi has been issued,” Salehi’s lawyer Amir Raesian tweeted Wednesday.

More from Deadline

The 32-year-old rapper has been detained, held in solitary confinement, and was allegedly tortured following his arrest.

A court in Isfahan has upheld the original verdict of “corruption on earth” and issued the maximum punishment of death, according to Iranian pro-reform outlets Shargh and Entekhab.

State media said Salehi’s sentence is subject for reduction by a pardoning committee if he appeals again.

Salehi has been critical of the Iranian regime and outspoken against the government in rap lyrics and on social media. He was briefly released from prison last year, but was rearrested sent back to prison. The rearrest came after he revealed in a video that he was tortured and placed in solitary confinement for 252 days.

“We strongly condemn Toomaj Salehi’s death sentence and the five-year sentence for Kurdish-Iranian rapper Saman Yasin. We call for their immediate release,” the United States’ Office of the Special Envoy for Iran tweeted. “These are the latest examples of the regime’s brutal abuse of its own citizens, disregard for human rights, and fear of the democratic change the Iranian people seek.”

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories