Several organizations have called for a march in Paris on Sunday to demand the release of Iranian rapper Tomaj Salehi, who has been sentenced to death, and to halt executions in Iran. An article published on the website of the newspaper "Libération" is titled "We Must Save Rapper Tomaj" and calls for "the abolition of the death penalty and the release of prisoners of conscience and Iranian political prisoners."
The signatory organizations, including Christians Against Torture, the Iranian Justice Organization, Amnesty International, and the Human Rights League, stated that "more than 18 months after the popular uprising 'Woman, Life, Freedom,' Iranian authorities continue to suppress the right to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.” They added, "The repression is intensifying against women and girls who defy the mandatory hijab laws," also condemning "the use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression."
The famous Iranian rapper Tomaj Salehi, aged 33, was arrested in October 2022. Salehi supported through his songs and social media the protests that erupted following the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, days after being detained by the morality police in Tehran for not adhering to strict dress codes for women in the Islamic Republic.
After his arrest, foreign artists expressed their support for Salehi, raising concerns about his death sentence. Hundreds of people, including security forces, were killed, and thousands were arrested during the protests that took place in October and November 2022 in Iran. According to NGOs, nine people were executed in connection with these protests. Iran widely employs the death penalty, and Amnesty International reported 853 executions in 2023, marking a 48 percent increase compared to 2022 and a 172 percent increase compared to 2021.
