Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi will have a retrial after his death sentence for protesting against the government was overturned.
On June 22, Salehi’s lawyer, Amir Raesian, announced the news on Twitter in Farsi. He explained that the Supreme Court decided to avoid making a serious judicial mistake. They overturned the death sentence and referred the case to a parallel branch for reconsideration.
The court also noted that Salehi’s previous prison sentence of six years and three months was not in line with legal standards and was too severe.
Salehi’s troubles began in 2022 when Iran faced political unrest after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody for not wearing a hijab. Her death led to widespread protests against the mistreatment of women in Iran. Salehi, 32, became a prominent voice in these protests through his music and social media, which led to his arrest.
In April 2023, Salehi was sentenced to death. He was first arrested in October 2022 and charged with “corruption on earth,” a broad crime the government uses for offenses they believe threaten social and political stability.
In December 2022, authorities released a video where Salehi confessed, saying, “Music can produce violence. I have made mistakes, and I apologize to you and society for any violence I have caused.” This confession came before he was allowed to hire his own attorney on December 29.
Over 500,000 supporters signed a petition for Salehi’s release. After a brief period of freedom, he revealed in a video that he had been tortured and held in solitary confinement for 252 days.
