Iran sentences rapper to death

(NEWSER) – A rapper who supported protests in Iran after the death in custody of a young woman arrested for not wearing a hijab has been sentenced to death. Reuters reports that the media department of Iran's judiciary has confirmed that Toomaj Salehi received the sentence on charges including "corruption on earth."

The 32-year-old was arrested in 2022 after making public statements supporting the protests, reports the BBC. He was sentenced to six years in prison last year and was briefly released on bail, but was arrested again after he revealed that he was tortured and placed in solitary confinement for 252 days, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

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His lawyer, Amir Raisian, said that in an "unprecedented" move, a court in Isfahan had refused to enforce a Supreme Court ruling in the case and "sentenced Salehi to the harshest punishment." The judiciary's media department said Salehi has 20 days to appeal to the top court and he could get a sentence reduction due to his "expression of remorse and cooperation with authorities."

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