Iranian rapper sentenced to death for “corruption on earth”. The previous sentence had been changed to 6 years in prison, but the Revolutionary Court presented new charges

An Iranian rapper jailed for supporting anti-government protests has been sentenced to death, his lawyer said, according to the BBC.

Toomaj Salehi supported, through his songs, the protests of 2022 that broke out following the death of Mahse Amini in police custody because she allegedly did not wear the hijab correctly.

One of Salehi’s lawyers, Amir Raesian, said that the rapper will appeal against the sentence.

Iranian authorities have not commented.

Salehi was arrested for the first time in October 2022, after he made public statements in support of the protests and was accused of numerous crimes. He was sentenced in July 2023 to six years and three months in prison after avoiding a death sentence due to a Supreme Court ruling.

In January, the Revolutionary Court in Isfahan brought charges in addition to those he had been previously acquitted of, his lawyer said.

Raesian told Sharq newspaper that the revolutionary court ignored the Supreme Court’s clemency decision and instead issued new charges before handing down “the harshest punishment”.

The charges he was found guilty of include corruption on the ground, “Baghi” [razvratire armata]assembly, propaganda against the governing institution and incitement to revolt.

Salehi has 20 days to appeal against the decision.

Before the 2022 protests, the established artist, Mr. Salehi, was already an outspoken character and was banned from performing at concerts, instead posting his songs on social media.

Through his songs and lyrics, he boldly criticized Iran’s leadership for corruption and repression against dissent.

After his conviction in 2023, he was released on bail in November of that year, but was arrested again a few days later on charges of distributing “false pretexts without evidence”, an apparent reference to a video message that posted, claiming to have been “tortured” by agents of the Ministry of Information.

The verdict of an Islamic revolutionary court seems to be a calculated message, which signals the power and determination of the regime to suppress any form of dissent.