ALBAWABA - Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to six years and three months in prison after being found guilty of "corruption on Earth" charges. There had been rumors that Salehi would face the death penalty due to his participation in anti-government protests last year.
The rapper was prosecuted for "crimes" that include “propagandistic activity against the government, cooperation with hostile governments and forming illegal groups with the intention of creating insecurity in the country,” IRNA News Agency said.
Salehi was sentenced after spending months in solitary confinement at Dastgerd prison in central Iran.
Activists across various social media platforms took it upon themselves to defend the rapper and demand his release, which ultimately led to Salehi's being spared from the death penalty. "If it weren’t for the media coverage and international pressure in the early days and weeks, Toomaj might not be alive today". Center for Human Rights in Iran tweeted.
That comes after Salehi took part in the protests that stormed Iran around October of 2022 after Iranian "morality" police killed the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for "not wearing the hijab properly" after being detained for days.
In an interview, Salehi said that those in power were a "mafia that is ready to kill the entire nation... in order to keep its power, money and weapons". Salehi also said that his activism and art put him in the bullseye of Iranian authorities.
Salehi's lawyer, Reza Etemad Ansari, said that her client was “acquitted of insulting the Supreme Leader and cooperation with hostile governments”.
