France denounces the death sentence of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi

The death sentence for Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, imprisoned for his support for the 2022 protest movement in Iran, is “unacceptable”, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced on Thursday. “France vigorously condemns this decision which is in addition to the numerous other death sentences and unjustifiable executions linked to the fall 2022 demonstrations in Iran,” adds the Quai d’Orsay in a statement. These convictions and the “numerous other serious and unacceptable violations of fundamental rights and freedoms committed by the Iranian authorities cannot serve as a response to the legitimate aspirations for freedom of the Iranian people,” adds the Quai.

Toomaj Salehi, famous 33-year-old rapper, was arrested in October 2022. He had supported, via his songs and on social networks, the protest movement triggered after the death on September 16, 2022 of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurd detained by the moral police, who accused him of having violated the strict dress code imposed on women. Foreign artists then gave him their support, fearing that he would be sentenced to death.

Several hundred people, including members of law enforcement, were killed and thousands arrested during protests held in October and November 2022 in Iran, before ebbing. Nine people were executed in connection with this uprising, according to NGOs. Iran practices capital punishment on a large scale. Amnesty International has recorded 853 executions in 2023, an increase of 48% compared to 2022 and 172% compared to 2021.