The Supreme Court of Iran last year on the death penalty
The Supreme Court of Iran annulled this Saturday the death sentence issued against the rapper Tomaj Salehi for supporting the protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, the young woman arrested for wearing the Islamic veil incorrectly, according to reported his lawyer Amir Raesian. This decision of the Supreme Court has avoided an irreparable judicial error, as indicated by Raeisian on the X social network.
Salehi’s case will be reviewed by another court
Tomaj Salehi’s case will be referred to another court for reconsideration. The lawyer indicated that the Supreme Court considered that the initial sentence of six years and three months in prison against the musician was excessive.
The charge of ‘corruption in the land’
The charge of ‘corruption in the land’ includes a series of crimes against public safety and Islamic morality. In the case of Salehi, this charge includes charges such as sedition, propaganda against the system and inciting riots.
The arrest of Tomaj Salehi
Tomaj Salehi was arrested at the end of October 2022 on charges of ‘corruption in the land’. He was sentenced in July 2023 to six years and three months in prison, but this sentence was rejected on appeal by the Supreme Court. After being released on bail in November 2023, he was arrested again eleven days later. Finally, in April 2024, he was sentenced to death, a sentence that generated strong international criticism.
Protests and repression
Mahsa Amini’s death sparked strong protests calling for the end of the Islamic Republic. These protests were repressed, causing the death of 500 people and the arrest of more than 22,000. During the protests, eight demonstrators were executed, one of them in public. As a gesture of civil disobedience, many women stopped wearing the veil. The authorities have tried to reimpose the use of the veil with the so-called Moral Police.
