Exclusive; Political Guardian of Tomaj Salehi: He is Innocent and Convicted of Unprovable Charges

Yee-Wan Ri, a member of the German parliament and political guardian of Tomaj Salehi, reacted to the ruling issued for this Iranian artist by stating that although the death penalty has been set aside, one should not be overly happy because he is innocent and has been convicted of charges that cannot be proven. On Tuesday, July 9, in an exclusive interview with the Persian section of Voice of America, in response to the announcement of Tomaj's ruling, she said: "When I accepted the political guardianship of Tomaj Salehi last November, he was facing two death sentences. One for corruption on earth and the other for waging war against God. Until now, we did not know whether the death penalty would be issued for corruption on earth or not, but last week they somehow conveyed the message that they are changing the sentence to imprisonment, but even that was not clear because we did not know if it could be 15 or 20 years in prison or even 10 years." Yee-Wan Ri continued: "In a way, I can say I feel a bit relieved because we no longer have to confront and protest against the death penalty, as you know, it is very distressing and hard, and no one knows what will happen. But on the other hand, I think we should not feel too comfortable or happy. Because six years and three months in prison for a man who has committed no offense and is innocent of all the charges against him is still a lot. So we should not be overly happy because only the death penalty has been set aside." In recent weeks, various gatherings and protests have been held in support of Tomaj Salehi around the world. Yee-Wan Ri spoke about the impact of these gatherings, saying: "Certainly more needs to be done, and I will continue to work for his complete freedom because the charges against him are unprovable. Just the fact that it was done behind closed doors and no one was able to see any court documents shows that they knew the case they created has no solid foundation and is very weak and fragile, and people will ask why Tomaj was even arrested and tried in the first place." I am looking to meet him myself and hear his words through video or phone communication, and I really want to know how he is doing, and I will continue these follow-ups because now that he is no longer in solitary confinement, there is no reason we cannot communicate with him. Yee-Wan Ri, Tomaj Salehi's political guardian, added: "We will continue to work for his complete freedom, but even without focusing on opposing the ruling that has been issued, we must focus on Tomaj Salehi and other political prisoners because I think we all need to ask ourselves whether the Islamic Republic is diverting our thoughts or attention because something else is happening or is going to happen from the Iranian regime. So we should not be distracted from the main focus by this ruling and know that many others are waiting for their sentences. Even regarding Tomaj, we know they always have the power to revoke the ruling, and it is impossible for us to understand what will happen in the coming weeks or months if the regime thinks we are no longer paying attention. So everyone should be careful and loudly support him." Yee-Wan Ri said: "If you look, you will see that the broad and powerful base of supporters for Tomaj is one of the reasons that kept the death penalty away from him. Because I think the Iranian regime realized that the people who support Tomaj or speak on his behalf do not remain silent, and no matter how much they try or fabricate charges against him, especially charges like treason, no one believes it. I think they have given up on diverting public opinion against Tomaj, and I think this was a very important action. I believe that supporters and fans of Tomaj around the world are among the main reasons he has moved away from the death penalty, and the fact that he has moved from solitary confinement to the general ward is a result of this because his supporters encouraged me as his political guardian, and everyone says that Tomaj's supporters and fans are a power that must be taken into account." This German parliament member added: "I completely believe that these movements should continue, and if these supporters do the same for other prisoners, it will be a significant movement, and of course, I know that Tomaj's supporters are aware of this because this was something Tomaj did himself, and when he was not yet imprisoned, he was always in support and aligned with those who were in worse situations. I am sure that his supporters and fans will do for other political prisoners what they did for Tomaj." Yee-Wan Ri has previously expressed concern about Tomaj Salehi's physical health. In response to the question of whether she has any news about his health status, she said: "I have no precise and recent information, but I am confident that we will soon have more information about his health status because he is now in contact with other prisoners, and perhaps other prisoners will tell their families or relatives about meeting Tomaj, and when Tomaj has more freedom, we will know more about his condition. Now that he has received a sentence and is in prison, I am still looking to meet him myself and hear his words through video or phone communication, and I really want to know how he is doing, and I will continue these follow-ups because now that he is no longer in solitary confinement, there is no reason we cannot communicate with him and ensure his health status. I will continue this work."