Iranian rapper released on bail
Toomadsch Salehi has been imprisoned for months for taking part in demonstrations against the regime in Iran. In the meantime, the rapper was threatened with the death penalty. Now he is allowed to leave prison - but this is not yet "real freedom".
Iranian authorities have released a popular rapper from prison, where he had been serving time for more than a year for his support of the nationwide protests against the government. Toomadsch Salehi was released on bail following a decision by the Supreme Court, the newspaper "Shargh" quoted the musician's lawyer, Amir Raisan, as saying. The court had found "errors in the original verdict", said Raisan. Accordingly, the rapper can hope for a pardon.
A picture published overnight on Salehi's user account on Instagram shows the 32-year-old outside prison with a bouquet of white flowers. Salehi was arrested in October 2022 after publicly supporting the demonstrations following the death of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.
In July, the rapper was then sentenced to six years in prison for "corruption on earth". The charge describes one of the most serious criminal offenses in Iran and can be punished with the death penalty . Specifically, the musician was accused of spreading "lies on the internet" and "propaganda against the state" as well as inciting people to violence.
Hundreds of protesters were killed
22-year-old Amini died in September 2022 after being arrested by the Iranian morality police for allegedly wearing a headscarf that was too loose. According to her family, she died after being mistreated by the morality police. The Iranian authorities deny this. Her death sparked an unprecedented protest movement under the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom". The security forces cracked down on the protests. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands arrested.
Ye-One Rhie, a member of the German parliament who is supporting Salehi as part of a political sponsorship, said that she was delighted about his release. At the same time, she warned: "Freedom on bail is not real freedom, not freedom without conditions." Iran must drop all charges against Salehi.
The rapper had spent ten months of his imprisonment in solitary confinement. He was tortured and did not receive medical treatment for his injuries. "Furthermore, his release must not mean that we forget all the other innocent prisoners in Iran," said the SPD politician. "It is not a day to celebrate, but to remember all those who were imprisoned and killed for no reason."
In the wake of the nationwide protests following Mahsa Amini's death, Iranian rapper Toomadsch Salehi was a vocal supporter, which led to his arrest and six-year imprisonment on charges that could have resulted in the death penalty. Despite his recent release on bail, Salehi's "freedom" is far from complete, as warned by Ye-One Rhie, a German parliament member who supports him.
Source: www.ntv.de
