Exclusive: German Parliament Representative and Political Guardian of Tomaj Salehi Call for Continued Support for This Protest Artist

Yi-Wan Ri, a member of the German Parliament and political guardian of Tomaj Salehi, expressed concern about the ongoing imprisonment and legal actions against this imprisoned protest rapper in an interview with Voice of America, urging everyone to continue supporting Salehi. Tomaj Salehi's lawyer recently announced that during the interrogation session of this protest artist, 'by court order,' in addition to the charges from which he was previously acquitted, 'two new charges' were introduced that were not even mentioned in the previous indictment, and his indictment is set to be issued 'with 10 charges.' Amir Reisiyaan, Salehi's lawyer, wrote on Sunday, January 21, on the social media platform X: 'The Supreme Court had overturned Tomaj Salehi's verdict, stating that five charges were illegal and that a maximum of three charges should have been issued.' According to Reisiyaan, based on this, the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic 'returned the case for proper handling and ruling to the Revolutionary Court' and 'it was emphasized that Tomaj would be eligible for amnesty.' Yi-Wan Ri told Voice of America: 'When Tomaj Salehi was released on bail, I had some concerns, but many were happy. What they are doing to Tomaj now is very meaningless. I think they are looking to see how far they can go and how the people will react, and the people's reaction is to talk about it and say how ridiculous the case they are making against him and the charges they have raised are. I urge everyone to talk about Tomaj and his case and to continue, as now is not the time to forget Tomaj.' The German Parliament representative and Salehi's political guardian commented on the status of this protest artist: 'It is hard to find out about Tomaj's latest situation because since he was arrested, he has been kept in a preliminary section of the prison and has not been transferred to the main section. We all ask why they are doing this to him. It seems that when he was arrested again on the street, he was injured, and perhaps that is the reason. Another reason that seems to me is that they want to scare him and tell him not to accuse the regime anymore or pursue any complaints.' Yi-Wan Ri stated that 'the Islamic Republic regime does not even act according to its own laws' and added: 'The first time he was arrested, he had already served that part of the prison sentence. He was released on bail, and his family provided all the bail in due time. Now, however, they are not acting according to their own law, and it is very strange that the court in Isfahan is continuing to fabricate a case and raise more charges even though the Supreme Court has issued its ruling. I do not know if they are aware that we know they are acting against their own laws or not, and I do not know what they are doing, but it is clear that they do not know what to do with Tomaj and are still afraid of him and his popularity. This is what supports Tomaj, and I urge everyone and all his supporters to continue what they are doing because it is the only defensive shield that Tomaj Salehi currently has.' Yi-Wan Ri also referred to the executions of Mohammad Qabadi and Farhad Salimi, calling for the European Union and the United States to show a more serious reaction to the Islamic Republic. He also mentioned that the political guardian of Mohammad Qabadi is forming a legal case in Germany against those involved in the trial and execution of Mohammad Qabadi. This German Parliament representative said: 'We never thought that European policy would continue unchanged like this. After the October 7 attacks (October 15), in relation to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and when it became clear that the Islamic Republic played an active role in Hamas's attack on Israel, I thought European policy towards Iran would change. Such a change has not yet occurred, which is why I think we need to exert more pressure, and I am aware of how much my colleague and brave friend Clara Bunger, who was the political guardian of Mohammad Qabadi, has been active. She is not sitting quietly now, and now that the death sentence has been carried out, she is not sitting quietly and is collecting all available documents and evidence and is forming a case to present it to the German government and ask the German judiciary to prosecute anyone involved in the murder of this young man who only protested against the regime and for freedom. Personally, we all try to do everything we can. In my opinion, the European Union and the United States must show a more serious reaction than they have had in recent months.' The United States condemned the execution of Mohammad Qabadi and Farhad Salimi. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department on Tuesday, January 24, in response to the Persian section of Voice of America, condemned the execution of Mohammad Qabadi and Farhad Salimi and expressed condolences to their families. In his written response to Voice of America, he stated: 'We condemn the continued use of the death penalty by the Iranian regime against people who participated in the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, the most recent of which is the execution of Mohammad Qabadi.' The U.S. State Department spokesperson described the execution of Mohammad Qabadi as unjust and referenced medical reports indicating that he should not have been executed. He questioned the legitimacy of all rulings issued by Iranian courts, citing that individuals are tortured, forced to confess, and face restrictions on legal counsel. The spokesperson wrote: 'Mohammad Qabadi should be alive today.' He described the lack of fair trial sessions for many other people in Iran as a continuous method of 'the regime to suppress dissent.' The U.S. State Department spokesperson referred to the execution of Farhad Salimi, mentioning reports of torture and his confession, emphasizing that his trial was by no means fair. From the perspective of the U.S. State Department, charges based on 'national security' are a pretext for the Islamic Republic to imprison or execute activists and ethnic and religious minorities, which are usually brought against them in 'sham trial sessions.' The U.S. State Department spokesperson deemed such charges and trials unacceptable and regarding Farhad Salimi wrote: 'He should be alive today.' In conclusion, he condemned 'the death penalty for punishing people who exercise their human rights.' According to the U.S. State Department spokesperson, the Biden administration continues to take action in support of the Iranian people 'in practical terms, both visible and invisible, and this will be done in coordination with allies and partner countries.' Abram Pili: We condemn the unjust execution of Mohammad Qabadi. Abram Pili, Deputy Special Representative of the United States for Iran, on Tuesday on the messaging platform 'X' stated that 'Mohammad Qabadi should be alive today,' writing: 'But the Islamic Republic must know that we strongly condemn the sham trial and execution of all those who participated in the Woman, Life, Freedom protests and consider these actions unjust.' He expressed condolences to the family of Mohammad Qabadi, stating: 'Mohammad Qabadi and all those who were killed by the Iranian judiciary will not be forgotten.'