A lawyer for an Iranian rapper sentenced to loss of life for supporting anti-government protests says the Supreme Courtroom has overturned his sentence on enchantment.
Toomaj Salehi was arrested in October 2022 after making public statements in help of the protests that broke out throughout Iran.
His lawyer Amir Raesian mentioned the Supreme Courtroom has now ordered a retrial, with judges discovering Salehi’s earlier six years and three months in jail violated Iran’s a number of crime guidelines and exceeded the statutory penalty.
Salehi, 32, was initially sentenced to jail in July 2023 after avoiding the loss of life penalty as a result of a Supreme Courtroom ruling.
However in January of the next 12 months, the Revolutionary Courtroom of Isfahan Metropolis charged him with new crimes.
In April this 12 months, he was sentenced to loss of life for “human corruption”.
The musician was additionally discovered responsible of a variety of different offences, together with aiding sedition, incitement to riot, collusion and propaganda in opposition to the state.
Index on Censorship, a marketing campaign group that has been working with Salehi’s household to free the rapper, welcomed the choice to overturn the loss of life sentence.
Nevertheless it mentioned: “It’s critical that his rights are correctly revered.”
Salehi’s case has been despatched again to court docket for a brand new listening to. “Even a shorter jail time period can be unjust,” the Censorship Index mentioned.
“Salihi has accomplished nothing however name for respect for his and different Iranians’ basic rights.”
Salehi gained notoriety by way of his songs and lyrics for boldly criticizing Iran’s leaders for his or her corruption and crackdown on dissent.
He expressed help for the 2022 protests, which had been sparked by the loss of life of a younger Iranian Kurdish lady. Massa Aminiwas detained by the police.
Amini, 22, was detained by non secular police for allegedly carrying an “inappropriate” hijab whereas visiting Tehran along with her household.
The crackdown on the protests resulted in a whole bunch of deaths and hundreds of arrests.
Earlier than the nationwide unrest, Salehi was already a well known artist and generally known as an outspoken determine. Since he was banned from acting at live shows, he launched his tune on social media.
