New Restrictions Imposed on Tomaj Salehi in Prison; Punishment for Informing

Following widespread protests against the death sentence issued for Tomaj Salehi and his 'informing on social media' about the conditions of this protesting rapper, he has faced new restrictions in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan. Amir Reisiyaan, the lawyer for this protesting singer, announced on the social media platform 'X' that Tomaj Salehi's phone calls have been cut off since the afternoon of Saturday, April 8, due to 'informing on social media.' According to HRANA, the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, the authorities of Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan have also prohibited Tomaj Salehi from moving within the prison block, talking to other prisoners, and accessing the library and sports facilities. A page attributed to Tomaj Salehi on the 'X' platform also reported that in order to exert 'maximum psychological pressure on Tomaj Salehi, all prisoners in Dastgerd Prison have been prohibited from talking to him and threatened that if they disobey this order, they will face severe punishments.' This new prohibition has been described as a 'gross violation of human rights' that 'must be lifted immediately.' Yi Wan Ri, a member of the German Parliament and political sponsor of Tomaj Salehi, has called this prohibition a form of 'torture.' Amir Reisiyaan also reported in a post on 'X' about a 'cyber attack' on the Telegram accounts of himself and Mostafa Nili, the lawyers for Tomaj Salehi, on Tuesday, April 10. Following the lawyers' informing about the death sentence against their client, a widespread campaign in support of Tomaj Salehi has emerged both inside and outside Iran. Many artists, political activists, and civil and human rights organizations around the world have protested this sentence, and Iranians in various countries have held protests. In the latest example of this campaign, hundreds of musicians and the Iranian Pensioners Council issued separate statements protesting the death sentence for this artist. Currently, several political prisoners in Iran are facing death sentences. Recently, ten political prisoners held in Qezel Hesar Prison wrote in a letter that the issuance of a death sentence for Tomaj Salehi is the 'tip of the iceberg of gross human rights violations.' Two of these political prisoners, in an audio file received by Voice of America, warned about the execution risks for 'Reza Rasayi, Adel Khushkar, Habib Daryis, Mojahid Korkor, Mansour Dahmarde, Abbas Daryis, and Milad Azmoon.' An image of Tomaj Salehi at the entrance of the Islamic Republic Embassy in Belgium. Ten political prisoners protested against the death sentence for Tomaj Salehi, warning about the possibility of 'government murder' for seven other prisoners. Global support for Tomaj Salehi is widespread; protesting retirees in Ahvaz stated: 'Tomaj is a nation, free the nation.' Protest statements against the death sentence for Tomaj: he is 'the voice of the revolution' and 'the awakening sound in the throat' of Iranians.