Toomaj Salehi: Who is the Iranian rapper sentenced to death?

An Iranian court has sentenced a famous protest rapper to death after a trial his lawyer called “the strangest and most bizarre legal process.”

The death sentence for Toomaj Salehi, one of Iran’s best-known protest rappers, is based on charges related to the 2022-2023 nationwide protests, which followed the death in police custody of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman years old, detained for not having respected the rules relating to the hijab (veil).

Salehi’s lawyer announced he would appeal the verdict, and the court indicated the sentence could be commuted to a lengthy prison term due to Salehi’s “remorse and cooperation with the legal process.”

Yet the verdict sparked widespread domestic and international condemnation, human rights activists expressed deep concern, and motorists played Salehi’s protest songs in Iranian streets as a sign of solidarity.

Aged 33, he is one of the most prominent Iranian rappers. Since his early childhood, he has lived with his family in the province of Isfahan, in central Iran.

His father was a political prisoner for eight years. Toomaj works in the family business that designs and produces medical parts and instruments.

He only started rapping at the age of 24 and his lyrics generally revolve around discrimination, poverty, corruption and repression.

Before becoming famous as a rapper, Salehi was arrested for wearing a T-shirt depicting US dollar bills.

A few months before the protests surrounding the Amini affair, he was arrested for a song called “Buy a Mousetrap to Hide”, in which he harshly criticized the policies of the Iranian authorities and those he considered supporters and apologists for the Iranian government. and abroad.

A few days later, he was released on bail.

The courage of Mr. Salehi, who criticized living conditions in Iran, was recognized in many countries. In Italy, for example, the city of Florence elected him an honorary citizen.

Last summer, the Global Music Awards awarded Salehi for the song “Divination”, in which he predicted the future of the regime.

After the announcement of his death sentence, Salehi’s supporters, at the risk of being arrested, put up a poster on a pedestrian bridge crossing a highway in Tehran which was widely distributed.

A few months before the protests surrounding the Amini affair, he was arrested for a song called “Buy a Mousetrap to Hide”, in which he harshly criticized the policies of the Iranian authorities and those he considered supporters and apologists for the Iranian government. and abroad.

A few days later, he was released on bail.

Shortly after the start of the 2022 protests, sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, Salehi released a video message on his social media accounts, emphasizing “the need to oppose the regime.”

Fearing arrest, he spent about two months in hiding, but security forces eventually found and arrested him.

Reports indicate that Salehi and his companions were subjected to excessive violence during their arrest. Footage taken after the arrest shows Salehi with serious injuries and facial bruising, sparking worldwide outrage and condemnation.

After more than 250 days in solitary confinement and a year of imprisonment, Salehi was finally released on bail in November 2023. However, twelve days later, he was rearrested and transferred to prison.

Initially, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary claimed that Salehi had been re-arrested for “spreading false insinuations” – this followed an official complaint of torture against those involved in the arrest, the interrogation and detention of Salehi.

On social networks, expressions of support for Salehi are numerous.

Mohsen Berhani, a lawyer and university professor in Iran, said on X, formerly Twitter, that he was confident the Supreme Court would overturn the singer’s death sentence.

Keyhan Kalhor, a famous Iranian composer and musician, shared a photo of Salehi on his Instagram with a supporting message: “Toomaj Salehi must be released, if we remain silent it means we support oppression.”

Ye-One Rhie, a member of the German Parliament, called the death penalty an “inhumane” act and said the decision “shows only one point: how much the Islamic Republic is afraid of Toomaj.”

Some Iranian analysts view Salehi’s conviction as a message to the opposition about the authorities’ determination to silence any voices of protest and opposition in Iran.

In an interview with the BBC, Iqbal Iqbali called the death sentence against Salehi “revenge of the Islamic Republic against those who participated in the “Women, Life, Freedom” protest movement and a warning that opponents in Iran will continue to be executed.

In a statement, United Nations experts demanded Salehi’s immediate release and urged Iranian authorities to reverse the decision to sentence him to death.

“Criticism of government policy, including through artistic expression, is protected by the right to freedom of expression and the right to participate in cultural life. It should not be criminalized,” the experts said . “Art must be able to criticize, provoke and go beyond the boundaries of any society.”

“As harsh as Salehi’s songs are on the government, they are a manifestation of artistic freedom and cultural rights,” they said.