The Revolutionary Court of Isfahan has sentenced Toomaj Salehi to death on charges of corruption on earth. His lawyer considers this verdict “manifestly conflicting” and contrary to the ruling of the Supreme Court””
According to the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, Toomaj Salehi was previously sentenced to six years in prison and other penalties in July 2023 year. He was also detained in November 2022 in connection with nationwide protests
Toomaj Salehi, a rapper from Shahin Shahr, is among the artists who have raised their voices against oppression and injustice in Iran by singing protest songs
Amir Reisian, Toomaj Salehi’s defense attorney, stated: “The Isfahan Revolutionary Court, in an unprecedented move, did not enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding Toomaj Salehi’s 2023 case and instead, by considering this ruling as ‘arshadi’, and emphasizing the court’s independence, sentenced Toomaj Salehi to the harshest punishment, execution.”
He continued: “The Isfahan Revolutionary Court considers the charges of participation in armed rebellion, collusion and conspiracy, propaganda against the system, and incitement to turmoil under Article 512 of the Penal Code collectively as instances of corruption on earth, subject to Article 286 of the Penal Code, and has issued a death sentence for Mr. Salehi, emphasizing the breadth of corruption. This is despite the fact that this same branch had not previously confirmed the breadth of corruption on earth charges. But what’s even more peculiar is that the court has also considered a supplementary sentence for the death penalty and has condemned Toomaj Salehi to 2 years of travel ban, 2 bans on artistic activities, and participation in behavior management and skill classes of Isfahan judiciary. This court has also deemed the suspended sentence for Toomaj Salehi enforceable”
Regarding other charges against his client, Reisian stated: “The Isfahan Revolutionary Court has considered the charges of disrupting public order, disseminating lies, and inciting rioting through cybercrimes within the jurisdiction of the 2nd Criminal Court and has not issued a verdict for these charges. This court has also issued a suspension order for the charges of communicating with enemy states and insulting the leadership. The reason for this is the issuance of an acquittal verdict for these charges in the previous ruling of the same court.”
Regarding reports claiming “amnesty for Toomaj Salehi” and “reductions in his sentence,” Reisian said: “All these reports are false. The ruling of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court for Toomaj Salehi is execution. However, this court has stated in its ruling that it has requested ‘a one-degree reduction’ from the Amnesty Commission considering the defendant ‘youth’. This is while the primary court had the legal possibility to issue a sentence other than execution for Toomaj Salehi, given the consideration of mitigating circumstances, but it did not do so and merely stated that it has requested a one-degree reduction from the Amnesty Commission.”
On April 18th, 2024, a trial session on Salehi’s charges, which the Revolutionary Court had ruled on in July last year, following a request for clarification and annulment in the Supreme Court, was held with the presence of Amir Reisian, the judicial attorney, at the Isfahan Revolutionary Court’s Branch One.
It should be noted that during this session, with the judges of the Revolutionary Court’s opinions on Salehi’s previous charges, two additional charges of assembly and collusion and participation in rebellion were added to his case, and Salehi’s defense lawyers presented their arguments.
He was previously sentenced in July last year by the Isfahan Revolutionary Court’s Branch One to six years and three months in prison, a ban on leaving the country, a ban on producing music and singing, and two years of mandatory attendance in behavioral management and skill development courses at Isfahan University’s judicial sciences department.
Following the withdrawal of the sentence issued against him by the Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, Salehi was released on bail from Isfahan’s Dastgerd Prison on November 18th, 2023.
On the November 30th, 2023, Mr. Salehi was arrested by security forces in Babol and transferred to Isfahan’s Dastgerd Prison.
Several days after his arrest, Masoud Bastani, the spokesperson for the Judiciary, announced that temporary detention orders had been issued for Mr. Salehi. He stated that after his release, Mr. Salehi made statements in one of the northern provinces, for which the judiciary summoned him, informed him of new charges, and issued a legal warrant and bail for the new accusations. Additionally, his previous case has also been intensified.
Toomaj Salehi was also detained by security forces in July 2022 in connection with nationwide protests. Official news agencies claimed that his arrest took place when he intended to illegally cross the western borders of the country. However, this claim was denied by his associates.
Toomaj Salehi, a rapper and protest singer from Shahin Shahr in Isfahan Province, was previously sentenced in his 2021 case to six months in prison and a fine on charges of “insulting the leadership and anti-regime propaganda.”