Rappers, Grammys show support for Iranian rapper sentenced to death

Several American rappers and the Recording Academy have expressed their support for Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, who was sentenced to death last week for participating in the Woman, Life, Freedom protests that swept Iran in 2022.

Salehi was prosecuted on charges of corruption on earth, a charge used often by the regime in Iran to target activists.

The rapper was arrested in October 2022 amid nationwide protests against the regime. At the time, the Iranian Fars News Agency referred to Salehi as "one of the leaders of the riots." Fars claimed that Salehi was trying to flee the country when he was arrested.

He was sentenced in July to six years and three months in prison but was released on bail after the Iranian Supreme Court found "flaws" in the original sentence. He was then rearrested in December after publishing a video saying he was tortured while detained.

The Recording Academy, which issues the Grammy Awards, said that it was "deeply troubled" by the death sentence issued to Salehi, stressing, "No artist anywhere should have to fear for their life or livelihood when expressing themselves through their art."

pic.twitter.com/Q1xzEtpZlD

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) April 27, 2024

"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," said the Academy.

Rapper Meek Mill showed his support for Salehi as well, posting on X "Free toomaj!" and "Got sentenced to death over a song free that man."

Free toomaj!

— MeekMill (@MeekMill) April 25, 2024

Last week, Iranian activist Elica Le Bon published selfies from the Black Jewish Alliance's Freedom Seder, with actress Tiffany Haddish, music industry manager Kenny Hamilton, music industry manager Cory Litwin, and hip-hop artist E.D.I. Mean, saying they were all planning to help advocate for Salehi.

"Talking about how we're going to free Toomaj through hip hop," wrote Le Bon. "We're making it happen and the entire room was committed y'all. Stay tuned."

Le Bon told Rolling Stone on Friday that "Known to us as 'the Tupac of Iran,' [Salehi] has become a beloved icon for the Iranian people with his unrivaled courage to express life under the brutal regime through hip hop music, an artistic expression that — like most forms of art — is illegal in Iran."

Le Bon noted that the regime tends to not execute people who receive recognition in the international community.

"We have seen many examples of prisoners that were either released on bail or had their sentences commuted through our 'say their names to save their lives' campaign on social media, using hashtags to garner attention for their causes, and even before social media existed, through getting the stories of political prisoners to international media outlets," said the Iranian activist.

"Once reported on, and once the eyes shift to the regime and the reality of its pending brutality, realizing that the action is not worth the repercussions, we have seen them back down and not execute. For that reason, this is part of an urgent campaign for readers to talk about Toomaj as much as you can, using the hashtag #FreeToomaj or #ToomajSalehi. Every comment makes a difference, and if we were wrong, what did we lose by trying?

This is part of @elicalebon‘s statement in the @RollingStone! You know what it means for death row hostages and political prisoners in Iran to be named here? It means IMMUNITY! It means an extra layer of protection! Thank you azizam for mentioning alongside our icon… https://t.co/tXHrIZeV38 pic.twitter.com/xhHEWlwxZ0

— Gazelle غزاله شارمهد (@GazelleSharmahd) April 27, 2024

Le Bon stressed that there are several other political prisoners at risk of execution in Iran, including Reza Rasaei, Mojahed Kourour, Abbas Deris, and Jamshid Sharmahd.

Protests supporting Salehi were held in several locations worldwide on Saturday, including in New York, London, Copenhagen, Brussels, and Oslo. Demonstrations will also be held on Sunday in several cities, including Berlin.

At one rally in Frankfurt, Iqbal Iqbali, Salehi's uncle, stressed that "whether Toomaj is there or not, this revolution will progress and the Islamic regime will be overthrown."

"The news of Toomaj Salehi's death sentence shook the hearts of all Iranian people," wrote Amjad Amini, the father of Mahsa Amini, on Instagram on Saturday. "Toomaj is a young man whose place is in the hearts of each and every one of us Iranians with the support of his nation. Do not execute Tomaj. Do not freshen people's wounds. The people of Iran and the world still haven't forgotten the death of Mahsa and Mahsas."

In October, Salehi received the 2023 Freedom of Expression Arts Award from the Index on Censorship organization.

"The plight of Toomaj Salehi serves as a stark and horrifying reminder of the harsh realities faced by artists in repressive regimes. In Iran, where creativity is stifled and dissent is met with brutality, the act of speaking out becomes an act of defiance in itself. Toomaj’s music, once a beacon of hope for the oppressed, now stands as a testament to the cost of resistance," said the organization on Friday, adding that they would be working to raise awareness of his case in the coming days.

#FreeToomaj: Index was filled with pride to award @OfficialToomaj the 2023 #FreedomOfExpression Arts Award.His compassion for others’ rights shines like a beacon in these dark times.#Iran must reverse the death penalty they have imposed upon him. #FreeToomajSalehi pic.twitter.com/KmNSJmwJtu

— Index on Censorship (@IndexCensorship) April 27, 2024

"Together we must harness all the tools at our disposal to reverse the unjust death sentence imposed upon him and work tirelessly to secure his release. We need your help to amplify his voice and stand in solidarity with him, for his struggle is not his alone — it is a rallying cry for all those who believe in the power of music, art, and human rights. And Toomaj now needs our help."

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan posted on X that the US "strongly condemns" the death sentence, saying "His voice amplifies the aspirations of the Iranian people and all those silenced by the regime. We call for his immediate release."

We strongly condemn the death sentence for Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi. His voice amplifies the aspirations of the Iranian people and all those silenced by the regime. We call for his immediate release. #SaveToomaj.

— Jake Sullivan (@JakeSullivan46) April 27, 2024

Khashayar Sefidi, a student at the Tehran University of Art who was expelled for his activism against the regime's policies, announced a three-day hunger strike and sit in at the Iran Music House on Saturday in response to the death sentence issued against Salehi.

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A post shared by خشایار سفیدی (@khashayar.j.sefidi)

"I am worried for Tomaj's life. I am worried and there is nothing I can do. Is there any hope? I do not know! Will this generation taste victory? I do not know! Are we still going to witness crimes like November 2019? I do not know! Are we still going to lose Jina, Nika, Hadis, Armita and Kian (the first names of Mahsa Amini and several of the protesters killed by the regime in 2022)? I do not know!...I only know that the history of this land has given us a role, to fight!" wrote Sefidi on Instagram.

Milad Alavi, a journalist for the Iranian Shargh newspaper, was summoned by the Tehran Prosecutor's Office on Thursday after publishing a video on social media of Iranians condemning the death sentence against Salehi, according to Iranian opposition sources. The video was later removed.

Kurdish rapper sentenced to exile earlier in the week

The regime in Iran has targeted several singers and artists who supported or took part in the protests in 2022.

Salehi's death sentence comes just a few days after Saman Yasin, a Kurdish rapper who was arrested during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in 2022, was sentenced to five years of "exile" in the city of Kerman. Yasin had originally been sentenced to death, but Iran's Supreme Court overturned the ruling, according to Yasin's lawyer.

The punishment of exile involves sending a person to an isolated location where they must remain and periodically report to local authorities. The locations are usually impoverished and subject to an intensive presence of security forces.

In March, Shervin Hajipour, the Iranian singer whose song Baraye (“For”) became an anthem of the "Women, Life, Liberty" protests in 2022, was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison and ordered to write a song against the US.

Islamic regime intensifies assault on women in Iran

The sentencing also comes as the Islamic regime in Iran has begun intensifying its crackdown on hijab restrictions in several cities in the past few weeks, with violent arrests reported across the country by opposition groups and human rights agencies.

Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, warned that the Islamic regime in Iran was waging an "all-out war" against Iranian women in a voice recording that she managed to send from within Tehran's Evin Prison on Sunday.

The Islamic regime in Iran has been gradually intensifying enforcement of hijab laws since they were somewhat relaxed in light of nationwide protests that swept Iran after Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman, was killed by "Morality Police" in Tehran.

Amini’s death sparked intense nationwide demonstrations in September 2022, commonly referred to as the “Woman, Life, Liberty” (“Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” in Kurdish) protests, which continued in full strength for months on end.