Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi death sentence overturned, to face retrial

Toomaj Salehi, the dissident Iranian rapper sentenced to death in April for releasing music critical of the country's government, had his sentence overturned on Saturday and a new trial.

Salehi's lawyer, Amir Raesian he wrote on social media (via the guardian), “Predictably, the Supreme Court avoided an irreparable miscarriage of justice” and that the high court “reiterated that even the previous sentence of imprisonment (6 years and three months) was not in accordance with the rules of multiplicity of offences… exceeding legal punishment”.

Salehi was arrested in October 2022 amid the uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old arrested by Iran's morality police who later died in their custody. Salehi was eventually charged with “spreading corruption on earth,” a capital offense, for releasing music critical of the government and urging his followers to join the protests.

After his arrest, allegations arose that Salehi was being held in solitary confinement and tortured, with UN experts saying he had a broken nose, several broken fingers and damaged legs. There were also concerns that his court hearings were held behind closed doors without his lawyer present.

In April, Salehi, 33, was sentenced to death by hanging, which his lawyers at the time vowed to appeal.

The death penalty drew strong opposition from various government and advocacy groups, as well as from artists such as Coldplay and Sting. The office of the US envoy to Iran he said“We unequivocally condemn the death sentence of Toomaj Salehi,” while also mentioning the five-year prison sentence handed down to another artist, Kurdish-Iranian rapper Saman Yasin.

Following the ruling by Iran's supreme court, the Index on Censorship, Human Rights Foundation and Salehi's international legal team said in a statement: “While the supreme court's decision is an important correction to the harsh and illegal treatment of Mr. Salehi, it is critical his rights duly respected”.

The statement continued, “Mr. Salehi's case has been returned to Section 1 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court for a retrial. Even a shorter prison term would be an injustice: Mr. Salehi did nothing more than demand that his and other Iranians' fundamental rights be respected. He must be free to pursue his music and seek the necessary medical care he needs after his incarceration, without continued incarceration, harassment or prosecution.”