Claim of Reduction of Tomaj Salehi's Death Sentence to Imprisonment; Defense Lawyers: It's Absolute Falsehood

While the government-affiliated news agency Tasnim reported the "reduction of Tomaj Salehi's death sentence to imprisonment," the defense lawyers of this protesting rapper called the claim "absolute falsehood," and one of Tomaj's political sponsors labeled it as the "regime's false narrative." On Wednesday, July 4, Tasnim claimed that "based on heard news" due to Tomaj Salehi's "effective cooperation" with the case officials, the "initial death sentence" has been reduced to imprisonment. In response to this news, Reza Etemad Ansari, one of Tomaj Salehi's lawyers, called the Tasnim agency's claim "absolute falsehood" and stated that Tomaj's case has not yet been closed and has not even reached the verdict stage. Reza Etemad Ansari, in an interview with Shargh, emphasized that the issuance and notification of the verdict takes between one week to ten days. Tomaj Salehi's trial has been held in recent months in silence and behind closed doors, and no details about the proceedings of this imprisoned rapper's case have been reflected in the media. Amir Reisiyaan, another of Tomaj Salehi's lawyers, also demanded accountability from Tasnim for spreading "such lies to the public." Yi Wan Ri, a member of the German parliament and one of Tomaj Salehi's political sponsors, also rejected Tasnim's claim regarding Tomaj Salehi's cooperation with the Iranian government, stating, "We know Tomaj and we know he would never do that." This German parliament member called for refraining from republishing "this false narrative of the regime" about Tomaj Salehi. On the other hand, Tomaj Salehi's account, managed by his relatives, emphasized the absence of "concrete evidence of criminal acts," identifying the security intelligence agencies as responsible for scripting against this protesting rapper and calling for his "unconditional freedom." The arrest, torture, forced confessions, and ultimately the holding of a closed trial for Tomaj Salehi have drawn international reactions. The U.S. State Department has repeatedly expressed deep concern over the "regime's violent behavior" towards Tomaj Salehi and called for an end to this behavior by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The charges against Tomaj Salehi include "corruption on earth," "collaboration with an enemy government," "propaganda against the regime," and "inciting unrest." Meanwhile, Iqbal Iqbali, Tomaj's uncle, recently stated in an interview with VOA that these charges against Tomaj Salehi are baseless legally and lawfully. Anti-government leaflets were distributed in Isfahan simultaneously with Tomaj Salehi's court session. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated: "Free Tomaj Salehi and all political prisoners." A report from Tomaj Salehi's court session indicated that the court's decision would be announced within a week. The trial of Tomaj Salehi was held behind closed doors; a German parliament member questioned, "What is the Iranian regime afraid of?" The U.S. is closely monitoring Tomaj Salehi's "secret" trial.