An Iranian court has sentenced a prominent protest rapper to death after a trial his lawyer called "the strangest and most bizarre trial".
Death sentence against Tumaz Salehi, one of Iran's most prominent protest rappers, is based on allegations related to the 2022/23 national protests. which followed the death in police custody of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman arrested for allegedly not following the rules of wearing a hijab.
Salehi's lawyer announced that he would appeal the verdict, and the court hinted that the sentence could be reduced to a long prison term due to Salehi's "repentance and cooperation with the court process."
Yet the verdict drew widespread condemnation, both at home and abroad, with human rights activists expressing deep concern and drivers on Iranian streets playing his protest songs in solidarity.
- One brother executed, another freed, the third spent a thousand days in solitary confinement in Iran
- Protesters in Iran have 15 minutes to defend themselves against the death penalty
- Iranian authorities execute protester with mental problems
- Iran's secret committee 'punished celebrities for supporting protests'
Who is Tumaž Salehi and what are the charges against him?
The 33-year-old is one of the most prominent Iranian rappers.
From early childhood, he lived with his family in Isfahan province in central Iran.
His father spent eight years as a political prisoner.
Tumaz works in a family business designing and manufacturing medical equipment and instruments.
He started rapping at the age of 24, and his lyrics usually deal with discrimination, poverty, corruption and repression.
Before he became famous as a rapper, Salehi was arrested for wearing a T-shirt with a picture of dollar bills.
A few months before the 2022/23 protests, he was arrested for a song titled "Buy a mouse hole to hide" in which he harshly criticized the policies of the Islamic Republic and those he considers to be helpers and apologists of the regime in Iran and abroad.
He was released on bail a few days later.
Salehi's courage in criticizing living conditions in Iran has been recognized in many countries.
In Italy, for example, the city of Florence declared him an honorary citizen.
Last summer, the Institute for Global Music Awards awarded Salehi an award for the song “Divination", in which he predicts the future of the regime.
After the announcement of his death sentence, Salehi's supporters, risking arrest, put up a poster in a pedestrian area across Tehran's highway, which was widely shared.
Complaints about torture in custody
Shortly after protests erupted in 2022 over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, Salehi shared a video message on his social media accounts stressing "the need to oppose the regime".
Fearing arrest, he spent two months in hiding, but the security forces eventually found him and arrested him.
Reports indicate that Salehi and his comrades were subjected to excessive violence during their arrest.
In the pictures after his arrest, Salehi can be seen with severe injuries and bruises on his face, which caused dissatisfaction and condemnation in the world.
After 250 days spent in solitary confinement and a year in prison, Salehi was finally released on bail in November 2023.
However, just twelve days later, he was arrested again and taken to prison.
At first, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic claimed that Salehi was re-arrested for "spreading false allusions" - this followed a formal complaint of torture against those involved in Salehi's arrest, interrogation and detention.
Watch the video about Mahsa Amina
A message to the opposition?
There has been an outpouring of hope and support for Salehi on social media.
Mohsen Berhani, a lawyer and university professor in Iran, wrote on IX that he was sure the Supreme Court would overturn Salehi's death sentence.
Kayhan Kalhor, a famous Iranian composer and musician, shared a photo of Salehi on Instagram with the words: "Tumaz Salehi must be released, if we remain silent, it means we support repression."
Je-One Rie, a member of the German parliament, called the death sentence an "inhumane act" and said that "it only shows one thing: how much the Islamic Republic fears Tumaz."
Some Iranian analysts perceive Salehi's verdict as a message to the opposition about the regime's determination to silence every voice of protest and opposition in Iran.
In an interview with the BBC in Persian, Iqbal Iqbali called Tumaz's death sentence "revenge of the Islamic Republic on those who participated in the Women, Life, Freedom protest movement and a warning that opponents in Iran will be executed."
In a statement, United Nations experts demanded Salehi's immediate release and called on the Iranian authorities to reverse the death sentence.
"Criticism of government policy, which includes artistic expression, is protected under the rights to freedom of expression and the rights to participate in cultural life.
"It must not be criminalized," experts say.
"Art must be allowed to criticize, to provoke, to push the boundaries in any society."
"As harsh as Salehi's criticisms of the government may be, they are an expression of artistic freedom and cultural rights," they conclude.
Watch the video: Iranian women at the DJ counter defy bans
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube i Viber. If you have a topic suggestion for us, please contact bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk
Bonus video:
