Amirsalar Davoodi: The Death Sentence for Toumaj Salehi is 'Judicial Audacity'; Narges Mohammadi: He is the 'Soundtrack' of the Movement

Two imprisoned human rights activists in Iran separately protested the death sentence issued for Toumaj Salehi. Amirsalar Davoodi, a lawyer, has called for the collective resignation of judges from the Supreme Court, while Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist, referred to the protest rapper as the 'soundtrack of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.' Davoodi emphasized in a message from Evin Prison that the death sentence for Salehi is the ultimate capitulation to extrajudicial forces. He strongly recommended that the judges of the Supreme Court resign to preserve their legal and judicial dignity. According to Davoodi, it is not unusual in Iran's judicial history for a subordinate branch to insist on a ruling when the Supreme Court, as the highest judicial authority, has overturned it. However, he noted that it is unprecedented for a subordinate branch to openly disregard a definitive ruling from the Supreme Court, which he described as the peak of judicial audacity, rendering the highest judicial institution 'disgraced.' Davoodi added that the appellate branch has shamelessly revealed its complete submission to security institutions, issuing a death sentence while ignoring the procedural rules that do not support the addition of new charges against Salehi. He labeled such rulings as 'completely scandalous and baseless' and urged the remaining honorable judges of the Supreme Court to collectively resign to extricate themselves from this judicial quagmire. He maintained that there are still 'honorable, sincere, knowledgeable, and experienced judges' in Iran who have not compromised their integrity for the interests of unrestrained power. Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate currently imprisoned, described Salehi's execution as 'the execution of our living movement' and referred to him as 'the resounding voice of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and its soundtrack.' She condemned 'revengeful, cowardly, and oppressive executions' as a 'stain on the black and rotten garment of the authoritarian religious government' and urged everyone not to allow another young person's blood to stain the white soil of their homeland. She warned the authoritarian religious government that by issuing oppressive and vengeful sentences against the proud children of Iran like Toumaj Salehi and waging war against Iranian women, it will witness the uprising of the people's anger and resistance against oppression. In the latest reactions to the death sentence for Salehi, a group of UN experts called for his immediate release and urged Iranian authorities to revoke the death sentence. Additionally, Fatemeh Sepehri and her brother Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, both signatories of the '14 Statement' for a transition from the Islamic Republic and Khamenei's resignation, condemned the death sentence from prison. The Iranian judiciary claimed that due to Salehi's expressions of remorse and cooperation, despite the death sentence, the court deemed him deserving of leniency. However, Salehi's lawyer stated that the ruling may change, as the Supreme Court's ruling will still be executed if the lower court insists. In response to Salehi's sentence, various Iranian figures and groups have expressed their outrage and solidarity, with protests occurring internationally against the regime's actions.