Judiciary Clarifies New Charges Against Tomaj Salehi Instead of Investigating Torture Complaint

The spokesperson for the judiciary announced the clarification of new charges against Tomaj Salehi and the issuance of a 'legal order' for him. This comes while his complaint regarding 'harassment and torture' by security agents in Isfahan has yet to be investigated. Masoud Setayesh stated that after his release in one of the northern provinces, Salehi 'made certain remarks,' and based on a 'duty' that the relevant prosecutor's office had, he was 'summoned and arrested.' Meanwhile, Tomaj Salehi was assaulted and arrested by plainclothes officers in Babol just eight days after his release on Thursday, December 9. According to Setayesh, Salehi is currently in prison under 'temporary detention,' and the case is being processed 'quickly.' Earlier, the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, accused Salehi of publishing 'some false and undocumented statements' on social media and arrested him on charges of spreading falsehoods and disturbing public opinion. Amir Reisiyaan, Salehi's lawyer, refuted the judiciary's claims in a message on social media, stating that a complaint against the Isfahan Intelligence Department as the case's agent has been registered and is under investigation in Branch 14 of the Government Employees Court, asserting that 'Tomaj has not made any false statements.' In part of his first video message after his release, Salehi stated, 'I was tortured a lot, but I neither confessed nor cooperated. We will build a very good and cool Iran.' Salehi's re-arrest by the Iranian government has faced widespread criticism from human rights activists and social media users. Tomaj Salehi, a rap artist critical of the Islamic Republic, was arrested last year during nationwide protests in Iran and was released on bail from Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan on November 27. The reactions to Salehi's re-arrest and the criticisms raised by lawyers and legal experts have been significant, with Arash Sobhani calling the charges mentioned for Salehi's violent re-arrest ridiculous. Salehi was transferred to Dastgerd Prison; Reisiyaan noted that no security order has been issued in the new case. A 'principlist' media outlet criticized the judiciary's 'gentle approach' just one day after the complaint regarding Salehi's 'harassment and torture' was published. There were three days of uncertainty regarding Salehi; the investigating judge in Isfahan refused to review the torture evidence. Salehi's lawyer rejected the charge of 'spreading falsehoods' against his client; a security news agency reported that Salehi would be handed over to Isfahan prison on Friday. Tomaj Salehi was arrested by armed agents.