Death Sentence for Toomaj Salehi Condmened by Rights Advocates

Dissident Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi’s death sentence has been condemned by human rights ambassadors from across Europe.

In a statement calling for the “immediate release” of the 33-year-old singer, the rights advocates urged Iran to “refrain from using capital punishment as a means to suppress critical voices”.

They wrote: “We, the European Human Rights Ambassadors, strongly condemn the death sentence of songwriter and rapper Toomaj.

“Toomaj Salehi is one of the many powerful voices supporting the peaceful protests following Zhina Mahsa Amini's death and demanding freedom and rights for women and girls in Iran.

“Toomaj Salehi's sentencing takes place in a context of severe restrictions against artistic freedom and other forms of expression in Iran, and the continued use of the death penalty as a tool to instill fear and stifle dissent.”

Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, a Geneva-based NGO, tweeted the statement from the human rights ambassadors from 11 European countries, including France, Germany, Spain and the UK.

Salehi was arrested after voicing his support for the protests which erupted across Iran after the death in Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police in 2022. The Iranian regime killed over 500 protesters and arrested thousands during the demonstrations.

The singer was sentenced to more than six years in jail in July 2023 only to be released on a technicality last November. He was quickly rearrested and last month was given a death sentence by a revolutionary court in Isfahan, sparking a global outcry and demonstrations in Europe and North America, amid continued outrage over the use of capital punishment by the Iranian government in political cases.