Iran’s supreme court has overturned Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi’s death sentence on charges linked to the country’s 2022-23 period of unrest, his lawyer wrote in a post on the X social media platform on Saturday.
“The death sentence of #Toomaj_Salehi was overturned and based on the appeal decision … of the Supreme Court, the case will be referred to (another) branch for consideration,” lawyer Amir Raisian wrote on X.
“As expected, the Supreme Court avoided an irreparable judicial error,” Raisian said in the social media post.
There was no immediate official confirmation of the ruling.
Salehi’s songs supported protests sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish Iranian woman arrested in the capital Tehran for allegedly wearing an “improper” hijab.
Salehi, 33, was initially arrested in October 2022 after making public statements in support of the months-long countrywide protests.
In late 2023, just two weeks after being released on bail, Salehi was arrested again after publishing a video in which he talks about being tortured in prison. He said his head and face were frequently beaten, and he suffered fractures to his hands and legs.
Supporters of jailed dissident Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi have launched this campaign on social media to bring attention to his case, saying he’s at risk of execution.
In April, an Iranian court sentenced him to death on the charge of “spreading corruption on Earth,” Raisian said at the time. It’s a charge often used against political dissidents.
After that sentencing, U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said the United States condemns the Iranian regime’s use of the death sentence as a “tool to suppress people’s human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Iranian dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi talks to CBC News about what’s happening in his country.
Source Agencies
