Text by Dawoud Kringle
Iranian rapper/poet Toomaj Salehi has been sentenced to death!
Salehi was born in Iran on December 3rd, 1990. He is a laborer in a metalworks factory. He began recording hip-hop as a means of protest against the social injustices of the Iranian regime.
Salehi released his song, “Soorakh Moosh” (“Rathole”) in 2021, calling out Western apologists of the Islamic Republic. The song went viral and he was arrested on September 12th, 2021 by Iran’s security forces at his home in Shahin Shahr. He was charged with ‘propaganda against the regime’ and ‘insulting the supreme leadership authority.”
Salehi was arrested again on 30 October 2022, for criticizing the regime’s corruption and suppression of the protests against the death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish Mahsa Amini. Amini died while in the custody of Iran’s morality police for allegedly wearing a loose headscarf. Her death sparked the violent anti-regime Woman, Life, Freedom Movement and protest in the face of a fierce crackdown.
He was initially sentenced to six years in prison for his participation in protests over the death of Amini but was released after Iran’s Supreme Court ruled that it had identified flaws in the original sentence. The rapper was rearrested in November for revealing in a video that he was tortured and placed in solitary confinement for 252 days following his arrest in October 2022, according to a statement published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Another artist, Kurdish-Iranian rapper Saman Yasin, was also arrested at the height of 2022’s protests in Iran. He was transferred to a psychiatric hospital two times in less than a year, according to pro-reform news outlet IranWire. A court in Tehran sentenced Yasin to five years in prison, according to Hengaw, a group focused on Kurdish human rights.
Salehi was released on bail in November 2023. He had sued the court of employees of state and media news and Isfahan Province General Intelligence Department, but the judicial system denied that there ever was a lawsuit. He also posted a video on the internet detailing his experience with torture while in prison, such as adrenaline shot injections, getting beaten up, and staying in a constantly lit cell for more than 200 days. The Department of Intelligence arrested him again for “fake news” in Babul on November 30th, 11 days after he was temporarily released after his bail was paid. His lawyer tweeted that his rearrest is without grounds and therefore a kidnapping.
Salehi began getting media coverage after talking to high-profile people and other artists.
On April 24th, Salehi was sentenced to death by an Iranian revolutionary court over songs that criticized the Iranian government, according to his lawyer and state media. Salehi’s lawyer Amir Raesian tweeted “An order for the execution of Toomaj Salehi has been issued.”
On Friday, April 26th, The Recording Academy released a statement condemning Salehi’s sentencing: “The Recording Academy is deeply troubled by the recent news regarding Toomaj Salehi. No artist anywhere should have to fear for their life or livelihood when expressing themselves through their art. Music is a powerful force for good in the world and is needed today more than ever. We stand with music creators around the globe who use their gifts to shed light on the human condition and will continue to work tirelessly to protect artistic freedom.”
The United States Office of the Special Envoy for Iran tweeted “We strongly condemn Toomaj Salehi’s death sentence and the five-year sentence for Kurdish-Iranian rapper Saman Yasin. We call for 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.” UN experts also demanded Salehi’s release and urged Iranian authorities to reverse the death sentence.“We are alarmed by the imposition of the death sentence and the alleged ill-treatment of Mr. Salehi which appears to be related solely to the exercise of his right to freedom of artistic expression and creativity,” the experts said.
Salehi’s political sponsor in Europe, German Parliament member Ye-One Rhie, called the death sentence against Salehi “absurd and inhumane. It is still completely unclear how this verdict came about. It is unbelievable how irresponsibly and arbitrarily the Iranian regime treats defendants. It is impossible to recognize the rule of law in the chaos of the courts in charge.”
Salehi’s cousin Azadeh, who resides in the U.K. said, “Putting the heartache to the side, it’s visible that we all admire the bravery of Toomaj, and we need to do our best to put pressure on the Islamic regime in Iran to stop punishing Iranians. I wish not only for Toomaj, but all Iranians to achieve their basic human rights that have been deprived of them for 45 years.”
Others have protested the Iranian regime’s treatment of Salehi. Iranian actors/actresses Nazanin Boniadi, Arian Moayed, and Maz Jobrani have been calling for Salehi’s release since last year. Boniadi said, “Toomaj has been arrested for the peaceful exercise of his human rights including the right to freedom of expression.” Jobran was quoted as saying “Toomaj’s only crime was to express his support and express his artistic voice. As a comedian, I cannot imagine a world in which artists are imprisoned for expressing their voice.”
There is something relevant to this issue that few have expressed.
Shari’ah / Islamic law is based on the Qur’an, and the Sunnah (the teachings and example of the Prophet Muhammad, s.a.s.). The first Islamic state (or the State of Medina) was the political entity established by the Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah (sas) in Medina in 622 CE under the Constitution of Medina. It represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah (nation) which evolved into the Caliphate by Muhammad’s disciples, the Rightly Guided / Rashidun (632–661 CE). The following articles from the Constitution of Medina are instructive:
(23) And that whenever you differ about anything, refer it to Allah and to Muhammad.
(47) And this prescript shall not be of any avail to any oppressor or breaker of the covenant. And one shall have security whether one goes out to a campaign or remains in Madina, or else it will be an oppression and breach of covenant.
According to Islamic philosophy, the objective of speech is to build up love, tolerance, social harmony, and understanding among members to ensure a peaceful coexistence. It maintains and upholds the right to freedom of religion, speech, and expression when done decently and responsibly as an integral component of its high ethical base. It only restricts it when it restricts the cause of exposing the truth, even where speech is offensive and hurtful. No text in the Qur’an forbids, suppresses, or limits the freedom of expression. On the contrary, the Quran encourages people to discuss matters openly, protest, accept ideas or reject them, and bring about all pretexts and evidence that might be available to contest Islamic teachings.
This proves that the authentic Shari’ah, as established in Medina, allows citizens of an Islamic society to address grievances against the government without fear of persecution. In this, it is clear that the regime of Iran has no legal or moral right to refer to itself as an Islamic government – or even, from an Islamic perspective, to exist. It also begs the question of whether there are any real Islamic governments anywhere on earth.
It also proves the power of music and poetry. Oppressive governments and tyrants treat it as being as real a threat as revolution. Their fear of the truth and its expression is indicative not only of their oppression but also of their fragility and ultimate impotence.
MFM – and especially its President Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi aka SoSaLa who is a US citizen of Iranian descent – officially condemns the erroneously named Islamic Republic of Iran’s treatment of Salehi and its citizens.
