Iranian authorities have once again denied imprisoned rapper and vocal government critic Toomaj Salehi’s an early release request, according to an account on X, formerly Twitter, linked to the artist.
Salehi is currently in prison after an Iranian court sentenced him to six years for his involvement in the 2022 protests triggered by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for improperly wearing a mandatory Islamic scarf.
The @OfficialToomaj account said that one of the primary reasons for the rejection of Salehi’s request was that one of the charges under which he was convicted was “corruption on earth,” an accusation that can carry the death penalty.
Salehi’s legal representative had previously said the artist was cleared of the “corruption on earth” charge last year.
Salehi, 33, was initially arrested in October 2022 after making public statements in support of the protests, which had erupted the previous month following Amini’s death.
He spent much of his pretrial detention in solitary confinement.
He was subsequently sentenced to more than six years in prison but released after the Supreme Court, on appeal, found “flaws in the original sentence.” His case was sent back to a lower court for reexamination and possible retrial.
He was temporarily released on bail in November after spending over a year in prison, including 252 days in solitary confinement, but then was rearrested shortly after publicly talking about his alleged torture in prison in a video.
Salehi has gained prominence for lyrics that rail against corruption, widespread poverty, executions, and the killing of protesters in Iran.
His songs also point to a widening gap between ordinary Iranians and the country’s leadership, accusing the authorities of “suffocating” the people without regard for their well-being.
Originally published on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on March 27, 2024. Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.
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