Rapper sentenced to death in Iran after supporting Mahsa Amini protests, says lawyer

An Iranian rapper who through his music openly supported the months of protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, has been sentenced to death, according to his lawyer.

In 2022 when the protests were at their height, Toomaj Salehi, who has 2.3 million followers on Instagram, was arrested then released. But in 2023 he was sentenced to six years in prison. He avoided a death sentence only due to a Supreme Court ruling.

Today his lawyer said that, in an unprecedented move, the court in Isfahan had not applied that Supreme Court ruling, meaning he was sentenced to the ‘harshest punishment’. He has 20 days to appeal.

We’re joined by Raha Bahreini, who is an Amnesty International researcher and human rights lawyer focused on Iran.