Political Guardian of Tomaj Salehi Criticizes 'Crimes of the Iranian Regime' and Calls for His Client's Freedom

Awan Ri, a member of the German parliament who has taken on the political guardianship of Tomaj Salehi, an imprisoned protest rapper, called for his release on Thursday, April 30. Referring to the court date set for Tomaj Salehi, he wrote on the social media platform 'X': 'Today is Tomaj's court. I remember him and demand his freedom. I will not tire of bringing attention to the crimes of the Iranian regime. I will not forget how they treat innocent political prisoners. The regime does not even respect the most basic human rights. I will continue to raise international awareness about Tomaj and the injustices he faces. My support will not end until Tomaj is free.' Amir Reisiyaan, Salehi's lawyer, recently announced the date for the hearing of his case and told 'Shabake Sharq' that the hearing for the charges against Tomaj Salehi from 2022 will take place on April 30 in the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Isfahan. He provided an update on his client's case, stating: 'The case related to Tomaj Salehi from 2022 had gone to the Supreme Court. This judicial authority overturned the ruling of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court and deemed other charges against Mr. Salehi eligible for amnesty, emphasizing that the penalties imposed on Tomaj Salehi exceed legal penalties.' According to Amir Reisiyaan, the Supreme Court also emphasized that two of Tomaj Salehi's charges should be dismissed and referred the case back to the Islamic Revolutionary Court, but this branch returned the case to the Isfahan Prosecutor's Office to increase the charges. This lawyer added that ultimately, the prosecutor's office, in addition to reiterating all previous charges against Tomaj Salehi in the 2022 case, even included charges for which he had been acquitted, adding two new charges of 'aiding in rebellion' and 'conspiracy and collusion against national security' to this protest rapper's case. Amir Reisiyaan expressed hope that Tomaj Salehi would be able to attend court and, along with his lawyers, be allowed to defend himself against the charges. Following Tomaj Salehi's support for recent nationwide protests, a total of three legal cases have been filed against him. One of these cases is from 2022, and two others were filed after the temporary release of this young rapper. Tomaj Salehi was re-arrested and transferred to the Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan on December 9 of last year, shortly after his temporary release on bail, on charges of 'spreading falsehoods and disturbing public opinion.' Recently, he was sentenced to one year in prison in one of his cases for posting one of his videos against judicial agents on social media. Another court case regarding charges of 'spreading falsehoods through computer systems' and 'inciting violent acts through computer systems' against this protest rapper is ongoing. Mr. Salehi, who is currently in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, commemorated '552 days of glorious resistance of the Women, Life, Freedom Revolution' in a New Year's message. In a message published on March 20 on his 'X' account by an admin, Tomaj Salehi stated: 'I feel the warmth of the hands that planted saplings in my memory and the hands that kept my memory alive on the walls of the city on my chest; the voices of those who congratulated me on Yalda Night and my birthday or shouted for my freedom still polish my soul every day.' He also emphasized: 'I am not alone here, because you did not leave me alone; I celebrate the New Year with a smile of pride and honor, remembering happier days than today and hoping for brighter futures than all our years, and I continue to resist alongside you.' At the end of this message, Tomaj Salehi said: 'Happy Nowruz to you, long live 552 days of glorious resistance of the Women, Life, Freedom Revolution.' Nasir Mashkouri, a writer and music critic, told Voice of America about Tomaj Salehi: 'Before being a hip-hop artist, he is a civil activist and a revolutionary, and he was active even before the Women, Life, Freedom movement took on a revolutionary form.' Mr. Mashkouri added: 'Tomaj expressed ideas in his works one or two years before the nationwide protests that we still did not see publicly in society, meaning that he expressed protest critiques in a revolutionary form, boldly and without any censorship in his works. Tomaj's audacity was such that even some hip-hop artists laughed at him, saying he was government-affiliated or wanted to become prominent.' This music critic states: 'Tomaj Salehi later showed that he is well aware of his role in this path, knows what he is doing, and aligned himself with the people.' According to Nasir Mashkouri, 'This young rapper initially showed through his works what was happening beneath the surface of society, and when protests and discontent erupted, he joined the Women, Life, Freedom movement and became a voice for this movement.' Mr. Mashkouri emphasizes that Tomaj Salehi's revolutionary actions have made him significant, not the artistic aspect of his works within the framework of rap music, and for this reason, many people listened to his songs and he became very prominent. This music critic states: 'Given that Tomaj did not back down at all, participated in protests, and courageously spoke out against the regime within the country, calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, he was considered a significant threat to the regime, and that is why he was arrested.'