Iranian rapper faces new charges
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Well-known Iranian rapper and outspoken critic of the authorities Toomaj Salehi said on Saturday that he has been summoned to court after releasing a new music track.
'On February 18, I was called to court with several different charges regarding the music Tifus, and I don't think I need to be in court because of this music unless the people I dissed come to court with their national ID cards and file a complaint,' Salehi said in a video on Youtube.
Salehi was arrested during the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom uprising in connection with his support for the movement, as well as for his music, in which he publicly denounced repressive policies of the Iranian authorities and use of the death penalty, according to Amnesty International.
He was detained in Esfahan Central Prison and sentenced to death for charges of corruption on earth. His death sentence was overturned after the case gained widespread attention and he received significant international support.
He was instead sentenced to one year in jail, as well as 'a two-year revocation of his passport, and mandatory participation in a "behavior management" class,' Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported on January 1, 2024.
Salehi announced in a post on X that he was released on December 1, 2024.
In his Youtube video, he said he does not understand why he is being prosecuted again.
'I was taken to court once for every piece of music I played and everything else - not just once, but multiple times - and I don't think it should be necessary anymore. It's strange to me that I have to go to court again,' Salehi said.
In his new song Tifus, Salehi criticizes musicians who support the Iranian government.
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