Demonstrators protested in London on Sunday against the death sentence imposed on a rapper by an Iranian court.
They wore masks of Toomaj Salehi’s face and erected a mock gallows outside Downing Street.
The 33-year-old rapper was sentenced to death by a court in the Iranian city of Isfahan earlier this week for his support of the Women, Life, Freedom movement..
Through his music, Salehi supported months of demonstrations in Iran sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.
An image of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi during a protest in Paris. Photo: AP
She died in police custody after being arrested by the morality police for allegedly wearing an “inappropriate hijab.”
During the protests that followedSalehi was one of “the leaders of the riots who promoted violence,” according to the Iran International news site, citing the Fars news agency, affiliated with Iran Revolutionary Guard.
Protesters in London carried Iranian flags and banners, including one that read “Free Toomaj Salehi – death sentence for rapping.”
Salehi is known for using his lyrics to criticize the Islamic Republic of Iran, highlighting corruption, poverty, state executions, and the killing of protesters.
He was arrested in October 2022 and sentenced to six years in prison in 2023, avoiding the death penalty following a ruling by Iran’s Supreme Court.
But that decision appears to have been ignored.
Photo: PA
“(This court), in an unprecedented move, did not enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling… and sentenced Salehi to the harshest punishment,” Salehi’s lawyer told Iranian newspaper Shargh on Wednesday.
Salehi has 20 days to appeal the ruling.
“We will definitely appeal this verdict,” his lawyer said.
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Demonstrations in support of Salehi have been held around the world, including in Spain, the United States and Australia.
On social media, the hashtag #FreeToomaj has been trending on platforms such as X, with users calling for Salehi’s immediate release.