International Support Grows For Iranian Rapper On Death Row

The global outcry against the death sentence of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi is gaining momentum, with Australia now adding its voice to the condemnation, joining the US, France, Canada, and Italy.

Earlier this week, an Iranian revolutionary court sentenced the 33-year-old dissident artist to death for charges connected to the 2022 nationwide protests that his lawyer says he had been acquitted of previously. Toomaj's action that solicited the wrath of the authorities was a song in support of the protesters.

Salehi, dubbed "the world's bravest rapper" by Western media, has a 20-day appeal period. According to his lawyer, Amir Raeisian, he intends to appeal the decision.

Australia is raising concerns directly with Iranian officials over the death sentence, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told Iran International on Friday.

“Australia condemns Iran’s increasing use of the death penalty, including against political opponents, juvenile offenders, and members of religious and ethnic minorities,” reads the letter addressed to Iran International. “Australia will continue to raise these concerns directly with Iran's representative in Canberra, through our Embassy in Tehran, and in multilateral forums.”

Australian senator David Shoebridge, who sponsors Salehi, also told Iran International that “governments around the world should respond” because the verdict is political in nature.

Since the 2022 protests and mass arrests in Iran, politicians in Europe, Canada and Australia have sponsored many Iranian prisoners are sponsored by politicians.

Security forces killed 550 people and arrested around 22,000 others from September 2022 to March 2023, among them many celebrities, writers and human rights activists, who had criticized the violence.

These lawmakers' sponsorship indicates their intent to leverage their political influence to raise awareness about the plight of Iranian prisoners among politicians and human rights organizations. Their aim is to prevent Iranian judges from delivering harsh sentences in secret trials.

On Thursday, Canada's Foreign Affairs minister Mélanie Joly wrote on X: “Like Toomaj, many others have been victim to IRGC’s human rights abuses & blatant disregard for human life in pursuit of democratic change.”

“Use of the death penalty to suppress human rights & freedoms is unjustifiable,” she added.

In a statement published on Thursday, the French Foreign Ministry also decried the harsh sentence as “unacceptable.”

“France strongly condemns this verdict, which joins the numerous other death sentences and unjustified executions linked to the fall 2022 protests in Iran”, the statement said.

Since Wednesday, protesters in several cities in Europe and the US, including Bonn, The Hague, Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Milan, and Washington, have taken to the streets to call on their governments to halt the execution.

According to opposition activist Hamed Esmaeeilion in Canada, there are also plans to demonstrate in support of Salehi this weekend.