Iran sentenced a renowned rapper to death for supporting protests in the country, his lawyer said.
Hip-hop artist Toomaj Salehi, through his music, supported months of protests in Iran in 2022 sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini who was arrested by the morality police for allegedly wearing an “inappropriate hijab.”
Authorities said Amini had suffered a heart attack and was taken to hospital, but her family blamed the police for her death, and reports said she was beaten with batons and suffered a brain injury.
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During the protests that followed, Salehi was one of “the leaders of the riots who promoted violence,” the Iran International news site reported, citing the Fars news agency, affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which supports the strict code. Islamic dress for women.
The rapper was arrested in October 2022 and later released. But in 2023 he was sentenced to six years in prison, avoiding the death penalty after a Supreme Court ruling.
Salehi, who has 2.3 million followers on Instagram, posted videos after Amini’s death talking about “revolution” and resistance.
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In a video, posted on October 28, 2022, Salehi’s caption said: “This is a revolution and every step we take is mandatory to achieve it.”
He has reportedly received awards for his protest music, including the Cultures of Resistance Award and the Golden Lily Medal awarded to him by the City of Florence.
Salehi’s lawyer, speaking to Iran’s Shargh newspaper on Wednesday, said: “Section One of the Revolutionary Court of (the central city of) Isfahan, in an unprecedented measure, failed to enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling… and sentenced Salehi to the most severe penalties.” punishment.”
The Iranian court has not yet confirmed the sentence.
Salehi has 20 days to appeal the ruling.
“We will definitely appeal this verdict,” his lawyer said.