Transfer of Tomaj Salehi to Dashtgerd Prison; Raeisian: No bail has been issued in the new case

Amir Raeisian, the lawyer of Tomaj Salehi, announced that this detained protest rapper contacted his family on Tuesday, December 4, and stated that he was taken to the "reception ward" of Dashtgerd Prison in Isfahan on Sunday evening. Raeisian wrote on the social media platform X about the transfer of this protesting artist to Dashtgerd Prison: "No bail has been issued for the recent case, but in the previous case, the bail was converted to temporary detention and intensified." He also stated that "Tomaj's recent action" and "his recent video statements" have been charged in a case, adding that it is "strange" that this issue is "without bail and the charges are announced as spreading falsehoods and propaganda against the regime." Raeisian continued: "However, this very matter in his other case related to 2022 led to the intensification of bail and the issuance of a detention order." The lawyer of Tomaj Salehi also added: "It is even stranger that the temporary detention order in the 2022 case was issued and continued until November 19 of this year, but due to legal obligations, its continuation for more than a year was prohibited, and after one year and 20 days of detention, Tomaj was released on bail; now, with what authorization has a new detention order been issued?" This lawyer also described the issuance of a new temporary detention order on December 3 by the first branch of the Revolutionary Court as "even stranger," stating that "even if it is legal, it is unclear under what authorization Tomaj was detained from December 1 to December 3." According to Raeisian, "the case has been sent to the Isfahan Court of Appeals for consideration of the objection to the temporary detention order. According to the emphasis of Tomaj Salehi's lawyer, "the falsehood of Tomaj's statement regarding the filing of a complaint is evident, but whether announcing 'filing a complaint in the judicial authority' is considered propaganda against the regime from the judicial authority's perspective is another discussion." Tomaj Salehi was re-arrested by plainclothes agents shortly after his temporary release on bail on Friday, December 1. 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. The transfer of Tomaj Salehi to Dashtgerd Prison comes as he spends his birthday in prison for the second consecutive year. On Tuesday, Yivan Ree, a political caretaker, congratulated Tomaj Salehi on his birthday on the social media platform X, writing: "Tomaj turns 33 today. He celebrates his birthday again in prison. Less than two weeks after his release, the Iranian regime took him to an unknown location. Let us wish him the best and draw attention to the injustice being done to him." Arash Sobhani, a composer and singer, previously told Voice of America that the charges mentioned for Tomaj Salehi's "violent and repeated arrest" are "ridiculous."