Death Penalty News

May 13, 2024 – The death sentence issued against Mahmoud Mehrabi, a social media page administrator, should be immediately rescinded as his only so-called “crime” was posting content online, said the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). The case is yet another example of Islamic Republic judicial officials increasingly using the death penalty as a tool of repression, in this case, to silence a social media admin who was focused on local issues.

A group of high profile political prisoners in Iran have denounced the death sentence handed down to dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi, calling it a sign of Iran's "inhuman nature and deep corruption." Earlier this week, an Iranian revolutionary court sentenced the outspoken artist to death for his songs supporting the nationwide protests of 2022, charges that his lawyer, Amir Raeisian, claims he had previously been acquitted of.

Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has condemned the death sentence of protest rapper Toomaj Salehi. " Toomaj's death sentence signifies the death of our vibrant movement. Let us rally for the survival of the movement that defines our existence," she said in a message from Evin prison (pictured).

The death sentence handed down to protest rapper Toomaj Salehi has sparked a wave of grief and determination among his fans and fellow citizens, who view him as a powerful voice for their cause. Amir Raisian, his lawyer, said the verdict is riddled with "obvious legal contradictions" and "strangeness."

An Iranian court has sentenced to death a popular rapper jailed for more than a year and a half for supporting nationwide protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death, local media reported Wednesday . "Branch 1 of Isfahan Revolutionary Court sentenced Toomaj Salehi to death on the charge of corruption on Earth," the singer's lawyer Amir Raisian said, quoted by the reformist Shargh newspaper.