Amnesty International Calls for the Abolition of Tomaj Salehi's Death Sentence and His 'Unconditional' Release

On Thursday, May 17, Amnesty International sent a letter to the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, demanding the annulment of Tomaj Salehi's death sentence. The human rights organization pointed out that this Iranian rapper was sentenced to death solely for participating in the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement and for posting criticisms of the Islamic Republic's officials on social media, emphasizing that the trial of this dissenting singer was extremely 'unfair.' The letter states that Tomaj Salehi was tortured during his detention and continuously beaten, resulting in a broken hand. Amnesty International, referencing multiple violations of the rights of this political prisoner, has urged Mohseni Eje'i to release Tomaj Salehi unconditionally and to effectively and impartially investigate the allegations of torture against this singer. At the end of the letter, the human rights organization called for independent observers to have access to the judicial proceedings of cases where the death penalty is issued. Amir Reisiyaan, one of Tomaj Salehi's two lawyers, reported on Thursday that the request for 'appeal against the death sentence' of his client has been registered with the Supreme Court. Mr. Reisiyaan stated that 'according to the law, the case must be sent to the court in the coming days,' and told the 'Modara' website, 'We hope this institution will also annul the sentence issued against Mr. Salehi based on the laws.' Following the news of the appeal request from Tomaj Salehi's lawyer, Yi-Wan Ri, a member of the German parliament and Tomaj Salehi's political guardian, described the intensified pressures on him as 'unjust' on his social media page. The political guardian of Tomaj Salehi pointed out that he is not allowed to contact 'his lawyer,' his phone calls have been cut off, and his visits with family have been conditioned on 'filming,' emphasizing that 'they are trying to portray Tomaj as weak.' The announcement of the death sentence for this dissenting singer by the Revolutionary Court has sparked a widespread global outcry against this ruling, which continues. In this context, over a hundred international cultural, civil, and artistic figures, including Sting, Margaret Atwood, and the band Coldplay, called for the immediate release of Tomaj Salehi, the dissenting Iranian singer and rapper, in a letter last week.