Yiwan Re, Political Guardian of Tomaj Salehi: The Intensification of Pressure on Him is 'Horrific'

Yiwan Re, a member of the German Parliament and political guardian of Tomaj Salehi, referred to the intensification of pressures on him as 'horrific' while sharing news about the appeal request made by Salehi's lawyer to the Supreme Court. This German parliamentarian wrote on 'X' about Tomaj Salehi's current situation in prison: 'His phone calls have been cut off, and his visits are conditional on filming.' The political guardian of Tomaj Salehi also stated: 'They are trying to frame him and portray him as weak. He has rejected this condition and is not allowed to contact his lawyer.' Yiwan Re described the imposition of these pressures coinciding with the issuance of the death sentence for Tomaj Salehi as 'horrific.' Amir Reisiyaan, Salehi's lawyer, announced on Thursday, May 17, that he had filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic regarding the case of this protesting singer. In explaining the new restrictions against his client, the lawyer wrote on 'X': 'One day after the death sentence was announced, Tomaj's calls were cut off, and his visits were also suspended because they were conditional on filming. The prison claims to have a judicial order, while the court says no such order was issued.' Amir Reisiyaan told the 'Modara' website that Tomaj Salehi 'has had one in-person visit with his father to date' and 'the prison has informed Tomaj's family that they have a judicial order for filming in-person visits, but the Isfahan Revolutionary Court verbally informed us that no such order was issued.' According to Amir Reisiyaan, one day after the Isfahan Revolutionary Court announced the issuance of the death sentence for Tomaj Salehi, he has had 'no phone contact with his family' since then, and prior to that, he 'only had the ability to contact his father.' This lawyer emphasized his objection to judicial authorities regarding this matter, stating: 'The regulations of the prison organization and the criminal procedure law explicitly refer to the rights of prisoners to visit and contact their family members, and imposing a prohibition on this is inconsistent with existing laws.' The issuance of the death sentence for Tomaj Salehi, a protesting rap singer, has sparked a wave of domestic and international reactions. Among them, Adam Schiff, the Democratic Chair of the House Intelligence Committee in the United States, condemned the issuance of this sentence, stating: 'Tomaj has been unjustly sentenced to death by the Islamic Republic court. What is his crime? Demanding accountability from the Iranian government through music.'