Release from Prison:

• The greatest news is an Iranian rapper who was given a death sentence.
• (Pakistan’s news) Tehran Toomaj Salehi, an Iranian rapper who was given a death sentence for supporting anti-government protests, was released from prison two years ago.

Background:

• The BBC reports that Toomaj Salehi was detained in October 2022 for openly endorsing the protests that broke out throughout Iran when Mahsa Amini died while in police detention.

Death Sentence Overturned:

• His death sentence was overturned in June and he was released from prison on Sunday after serving a year in prison for “propaganda against the state.”
• Toomaj Salehi criticized Iran’s leaders in his songs.

Legal Proceedings:

• He was sentenced to six years and three months in prison in July 2023, after which he was spared the death penalty under a Supreme Court ruling.
• A few days after being briefly freed on bail, he was arrested again for making “false claims without evidence,” which was presumably a reference to a video in which he claimed to have been “tortured” by operatives of the intelligence ministry.

Further Charges:

• In April 2024, he received a death sentence for “rioting on earth,” but it was later revoked.
• The rapper was accused of a number of offenses, including:
  • Propagandizing against the establishment.
  • Disturbing public order.
  • Disseminating false information online.