Amnesty International: Cancel the Death Sentence of Tomaj Salehi and Release Him 'Unconditionally'

On Thursday, May 17, Amnesty International published an open letter addressed to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, calling for the cancellation of the death sentence and the immediate and unconditional release of Tomaj Salehi. In this letter, Amnesty International emphasized that the only reason for the issuance of the death sentence for this protesting rapper was his participation in the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement and his critical writings on social media regarding the officials of the Islamic Republic. The organization pointed out the unfair trial, the lack of investigation into Salehi's complaints about torture, including electric shocks, repeated death threats, and multiple assaults that led to broken bones and reduced vision in one eye of this protesting artist. Amnesty International stressed the necessity of providing necessary medical care to Tomaj Salehi, effectively and impartially addressing the allegations of torture, and holding accountable those responsible for these actions in its letter to Mohseni Ejei. This human rights organization also called for independent observers to have access to the judicial processes leading to the issuance of death sentences and the abolition of such sentences in Iran under the Islamic Republic. Simultaneously, Yi-Wan Ri, a member of the German parliament and political guardian of Tomaj Salehi, described the intensification of pressure on him as 'horrific' while re-sharing news of Salehi's lawyer's appeal to the Supreme Court. This German parliament member wrote on his 'X' page about the current conditions of Tomaj Salehi in prison: 'His phone calls have been cut off, and his visits have been conditioned on filming.' The political guardian of Tomaj Salehi also added: 'They are trying to frame him and make him appear weak. He has rejected this condition and is not allowed to contact his lawyer.' Yi-Wan Ri described the imposition of these pressures simultaneously with the issuance of the death sentence for Tomaj Salehi as 'horrific.' Amir Raisian, Tomaj Salehi's lawyer, announced on Thursday, May 17, the registration of an appeal to the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic for this protesting singer's case. In explaining the new restrictions against his client, this lawyer wrote on his 'X' page: 'One day after the issuance of the death sentence, Tomaj's calls were cut off, and his visit was also cut off because it was conditioned on filming. The prison says it has a judicial order, while the court says it has not issued any order.' Amir Raisian told the 'Modara' website that Tomaj Salehi 'has had only one in-person meeting with his father until today,' and 'the prison has informed Tomaj's family that it has a judicial order for filming in-person visits, but the Isfahan Revolutionary Court verbally informed us that no such order has been issued.' According to Amir Raisian, one day after the Isfahan Revolutionary Court announced the issuance of the death sentence for Tomaj Salehi, he has had 'no phone contact with his family' until today, and before that, he 'only had the possibility to contact his father.' This lawyer emphasized his objection to judicial authorities in this regard: 'In the regulations of the prison organization and the criminal procedure law, the right of prisoners to meet and contact their family members is explicitly mentioned, and creating a prohibition in this regard is inconsistent with the existing laws.' The issuance of the death sentence for Tomaj Salehi, the protesting rapper, has sparked a wave of domestic and international reactions. Among them, Adam Schiff, the Democratic chair of the House Intelligence Committee in the United States, condemned the issuance of this sentence, stating: 'Tomaj has been unjustly sentenced to death in the court of the Islamic Republic. What is his crime? Asking for accountability from the Iranian government through music.'