Tomaj Salehi's Lawyers Say No New Developments in Their Client's Case; He Should Have Been Pardoned Last Year

Amir Reysyan and Mostafa Nili, two of Tomaj Salehi's lawyers, announced on Saturday, April 27, that their client was acquitted of 'corruption on earth' last year and was eligible for a pardon. Amir Reysyan, one of Tomaj Salehi's lawyers, rejected some news regarding Salehi's 'pardon', stating: 'Since the issuance of Tomaj Salehi's death sentence, no new developments have occurred in the case, and we have not yet registered an appeal.' On Saturday, Reysyan added on his account on 'X': 'We have not mentioned anything about his pardon in any interview; our point is that despite Tomaj being among those eligible for the 2021 pardon, he has not only not been pardoned but has also received a death sentence.' Mostafa Nili, another lawyer for Tomaj Salehi, emphasized that last year his client was acquitted of 'corruption on earth', stating: 'He was eligible for the Leader's pardon. However, today the court has read the ruling of the court as advisory and has again ruled on corruption on earth, claiming that Tomaj's case does not fall under the Leader's pardon.' He added that since the charge of corruption on earth relates to the protests of 2021 and 'has nothing to do with subsequent events', 'the Leader's pardon' should have been considered in Tomaj's case, and the other case opened against him relates to his interview after being released on bail, for which he was sentenced to one year in prison, and there is no other issue in this regard. Simultaneously, following the condemnation of the death sentence for Tomaj Salehi, the anti-Islamic Republic rapper, Michelle Taylor, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council, condemned Tomaj's 'death sentence' on social media, stating: 'Tomaj's voice represents the aspirations of the Iranian people and all those silenced by the regime.' Ms. Taylor also emphasized: 'The Islamic Republic continues to use the death penalty as a tool for the brutal suppression of dissent.' Tomaj Salehi, an Iranian rapper opposed to the Islamic Republic, was arrested in early November 2022 in connection with nationwide protests and sent to prison. He was released on bail a year later but was re-arrested a few days later and sent to prison in Isfahan. This political prisoner was tried on April 19, 2024, in the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Isfahan on charges of 'conspiracy and collusion, and complicity in rebellion', and his death sentence was communicated to his lawyers on May 25. Criticism continues in Iran and worldwide regarding the issuance of the death sentence for Tomaj Salehi. The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions called for the annulment of Tomaj Salehi's death sentence. The Organization of Iranian Alliance Against Nuclear Iran demanded that the 'Iranian regime' release Tomaj Salehi.