Creators' Organisations Condemn the Sentencing to Death of Iranian Rapper Toomaj Salehi

On April 24, 2024, Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, 33, was sentenced to death by hanging by the Isfahan Revolutionary Court.

Before that, in October 2022, Toomaj Salehi was convicted of “corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz) and sentenced to six years and three months in prison. He was reportedly severely tortured and endured prolonged solitary confinement.

His crime: his support to the demonstrations that followed the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman who was arrested in September 2022 for violating the dress code imposed on women and died three days later while detained by the police.

Toomaj Salehi’s sentence violates Iran’s international commitment to respect, protect and promote freedom of expression, opinion and belief. The death penalty cannot be the answer to the exercise of artistic freedom. It is a cruel practice and a denial of human rights protected by international law.

Artists play an essential role in society. Silencing them through fear, intimidation, and repression undermines democracy and freedom.

On behalf of our members throughout the world, we firmly condemn the sentencing to death of Toomaj Salehi. We call on the Iranian government to reverse this sentence and release him immediately, as well as all other artists currently detained in Iran for exercising their freedom of expression.