Tomaj Salehi Sentenced to One Year in Prison; Lawyer: 'Strangest and Most Abnormal' Legal Process

Amir Reysian, the lawyer for Tomaj Salehi, announced on Monday, January 1, that his client has been sentenced to one year in prison, along with a two-year passport ban and mandatory participation in behavior management and skill development courses, following his visual reporting about complaints against the agents involved in his case. In an open letter addressed to Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, Reysian emphasized that the legal proceedings were 'neither in accordance with the law nor respectful of citizens' rights.' He stated that as Salehi's lawyer, he has witnessed 'the most abnormal and strange legal process.' He mentioned that some time ago, Salehi had announced in a video file that he had filed a complaint against the agents who arrested him in November 2022. According to Salehi's lawyer, one month after this complaint, under the orders of the investigator of the 11th branch of the Isfahan Prosecutor's Office and the issuance of judicial assistance to the Babolsar Prosecutor's Office, Salehi and a companion were arrested on charges of 'spreading falsehoods.' Hours later, one of Salehi's relatives was summoned, and subsequently, their home was searched, and the computers and mobile phones of both individuals were confiscated by the agents. Reysian further explained that a bail of 200 and 500 million tomans was issued in the Babolsar Prosecutor's Office, but Salehi was not allowed to contact his family or the bail guarantor, and under the pretext of 'inability to post bail,' he was transferred under custody to the Isfahan Prosecutor's Office and Isfahan prison. The lawyer added that despite the legality of Salehi's November complaint against the judicial agents being established, a new case was fabricated against him that not only remains unresolved but also no authority is accountable to Salehi's family. Shortly after being temporarily released on bail, on Friday, December 1, Salehi was again arrested by plainclothes agents and taken to the Dastgerd prison in Isfahan. The Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, claimed that this protesting rapper had published 'some false and undocumented statements' on social media and announced that he was arrested on charges of 'spreading falsehoods and disturbing public opinion.' In response, Amir Reysian, Salehi's lawyer, rejected the judiciary's claims on X (formerly Twitter), stating that a complaint against the Isfahan Intelligence Department as the case's agent had been registered and is under investigation in branch 14 of the Government Employees Prosecutor's Office, 'so Salehi did not say anything false.' In part of his first video message after his release, the protesting artist stated, 'I was tortured a lot, but I neither confessed nor cooperated. We will build a very good and cool Iran.' Previously, human rights lawyer Tanaz Kolahchian told Voice of America that Tomaj Salehi 'did not spread falsehoods,' but what he said was 'a narrative and not a crime.' On Wednesday, December 13, the HRANA news agency reported that Tomaj Salehi, the protesting rapper, despite being detained for about two weeks, was 'indefinitely held in Dastgerd prison in Isfahan' and had been subjected to beatings during this time. The news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran quoted a source close to Salehi's family, stating that 'Salehi's face was injured due to the beatings during his arrest, causing one of his eyes to swell and his face to bruise.' This situation has 'increased the concern of his relatives.' Salehi's account on the X messaging platform warned on December 8 about what it called 'a dangerous game by the judiciary and intelligence agents with Tomaj Salehi's life,' stating, 'Tomaj Salehi's life is in danger.' This account warned about the 'baseless detention' of Salehi and the life-threatening risks of keeping him with 'criminals and sometimes thugs and suspects of dangerous crimes' in the reception section of Dastgerd prison in Isfahan. Salehi was arrested on December 1 in Babolsar by government agents and was transferred to Dastgerd prison in Isfahan with 'beatings.' After that, Masoud Setayesh, the spokesperson for the judiciary, announced that a temporary detention order had been issued for him and said that after his release, Salehi had 'said some points' in one of the northern province's cities, and based on a 'mandate' from the relevant prosecutor's office, he was 'summoned and arrested.' According to this judiciary official, the conditions of this protesting rapper's previous case have also been intensified. Earlier, Mizan news agency accused Tomaj Salehi of publishing 'some false and undocumented statements' on social media and stated that he was arrested on charges of 'spreading falsehoods and disturbing public opinion.' Salehi was arrested in early November 2022 during protests against the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody of the morality police. In July, he was sentenced by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Isfahan to six years and three months in prison, a travel ban, prohibition from producing music and singing, and two years of mandatory attendance in behavior management and skill development courses. This protesting rapper was released from Dastgerd prison in Isfahan on November 18, 2023, on bail but was arrested again on December 1.