PARIS: Iranian authorities on Thursday (Apr 25) faced pressure to release and clear a prominent rapper sentenced to death in a verdict supporters say is merely revenge for his music backing anti-government protests.
Toomaj Salehi, 33, one of the best-known figures arrested in a crackdown on protests that began in 2022, risks being hanged after the conviction on the Sharia charge of “corruption on Earth” by a Revolutionary Court.
The verdict, which can still be appealed, stunned activists as the lower court disregarded a move by the supreme court to overturn a prison sentence Salehi had been given on the same charge.
#Iran: UN experts alarmed by death sentence imposed on rapper & songwriter Toomaj Salehi. They urge authorities in ?? to immediately release him & reverse the death sentence.#EndDeathPenaltyhttps://t.co/X3hvwyqVox pic.twitter.com/w3v7e7Y9Gw
— UN Special Procedures (@UN_SPExperts) April 25, 2024
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