Tumaj Salehi
Iran: Lawyer expects death sentence against rapper to be revised
Solidarity campaign for the Iranian rapper Tumaj Salehi in Berlin (archive photo). photo
© Paul Zinken/dpa
The rapper Tumaj Salehi has been sentenced to death in Iran for “corruption on earth”. Observers believe the judge’s ruling will be revised.
The lawyer of the Iranian rapper Tumaj Salehi expects the death sentence against his client to be appealed. “We have a 20-day deadline and we will use this time to ensure justice in this case,” his defense attorney Mostafa Nili said in an interview in Saturday’s edition of the daily Etemad.
A revolutionary court in the central Iranian city of Isfahan sentenced Salehi to death on Wednesday. The charge against him was “corruption on earth,” which, according to Islamic legal opinion, was Death sentence stands. However, the judiciary gave the defense lawyers permission to appeal against the verdict. The verdict sparked a wave of outrage both at home and abroad.
Observers in Tehran expect a revision. In her opinion, the death sentence against the rapper was a deterrent policy by the system in order to better implement the renewed headscarf controls and to deter women from new protests.
Salehi was arrested during the women’s movement and wave of protests in autumn 2022 and was later initially sentenced to a six-year prison sentence. In the meantime it was said that the musician could hope for a pardon. In the past, the rapper had denounced social and political grievances in the country with his critical lyrics. On social media, he expressed early solidarity with the demonstrators who were protesting against the government’s repressive course and the Islamic system of rule.