Who Is Iranian Rapper Toomaj Salehi, Sentenced To Death For 'Waging War Against God'?

Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, 33, has been sentenced to death for his alleged role in the 2022-23 unrest after the death of Mahsa Amini due to police brutality. Amini was a Kurdish woman whose arrest in Tehran for opposing mandatory hijab and subsequent death in police custody sparked a wave of protests throughout Iran. Toomaj, who protested against this incident and supported women protesting against hijab through his lyrics and social media posts is now sentenced by the Iranian Revolutionary Court.

The Recording Academy recently released a statement condemning the verdict. "No artist anywhere should have to fear for their life or livelihood when expressing themselves through their art", read the statement.

The decision is also condemned by the Office of the Special Envoy for Iran. Strongly condemning Toomaj Salehi's death sentence and the five-year sentence for Kurdish-Iranian rapper Saman Yasin, the office demanded their immediate release.

"These are the latest examples of the regime’s brutal abuse of its own citizens, disregard for human rights, and fear of the democratic change the Iranian people seek," wrote the Office of the Special Envoy For Iran on their official X handle.

Who is Toomaj Salehi?

Toomaj is an Iranian hip-hop artist, who is popularly known for his protest songs concerning Iran's societal issues and the policies of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Toomaj Salehi's unapologetic efforts to critique Iran's policies got him arrested on September 12, 2021. He was charged with "propaganda against the regime" and "insulting the supreme leadership authority. Nine days after his arrest, on September 21, the rapper was released on bail with pending trial.

Almost four months later, on January 23, 2022, Toomaj was sentenced to six months in prison and a fine by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shahin Shahr.

On October 30, 2022, Toomaj was arrested again for his active participation in demanding justice for Mahsa Amini, who died on September 16, 2022, at the age of 22.

Fars news agency affiliated with the IRGC described Tomaj as one of the "leaders of the riots who promoted violence."  
He was reportedly charged with "propagandistic activity against the government, cooperation with hostile governments, and forming illegal groups with the intention of creating insecurity in the country."

However, at that time, Toomaj escaped the death sentence after a Supreme Court ruling in the case.

After his release on bail in November 2023, Salehi posted a video on the internet detailing his experience with torture while in prison. He claimed he was injected with adrenaline shots, beaten up, and kept in a lit cell for over 200 days.

Eleven days after his release, on November 30, 2023, he was arrested again by The Department of Intelligence for spreading "fake news."

What are the latest charges made against the rapper?

The Revolutionary Court, which did not enforce the Supreme Court's ruling according to rapper's lawyer Amir Raisian, accused Salehi of assisting "sedition, assembly and collusion, propaganda against the system and calling for riots".

On  April 24, 2024, Toomaj was sentenced to death over the accusation of "waging war against God" and "corruption on Earth," which makes one of the most serious charges in Iran. Toomaj has 20 days to appeal the ruling, according to his lawyer Amir Raisian.

What do we know about Salehi's 'protest' songs?

Salehi's last music video, before his arrest in October included the lyrics, "Someone's crime was dancing with her hair in the wind. Someone's crime was that he or she was brave and criticized... 44 years of your government. It's the year of failure."

His song Soorakh Moosh was a direct encouragement to people to protest against the oppressors. "If you saw the pain of people, you closed your eyes, You saw the oppression of the oppressed and left him, If you repent out of fear or for your own benefit, You are an accomplice of the oppressor, you are also a criminal," is how Toomaj's song Soorakh Moosh begins.

His other works Faal, Shin, Moosh, and Dard among others are also on similar lines, mostly critiquing the Iranian authority.