in Paris, a rally to demand the release of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi

Around 300 people gathered on Sunday at Place de la Bastille in Paris after the Iranian rapper was sentenced to death.

The sounds and texts of Toomaj Salehi resonate powerfully on the Place de la Bastille, in Paris, Sunday April 28. This 33-year-old Iranian rapper is accused by the mullahs’ regime of having supported the women’s protest movement, through his songs and on social networks. This 33-year-old artist was sentenced to death last Wednesday by a revolutionary court in Isfahan for “corruption on Earth.”

Through this demonstration, activists are calling more generally for an end to executions in Iran. Darya Djavahery-Farsi, president of the Neda Association of Iran, explains that “Toomaj is a rapper who, since 2019, and even before, in his sounds, has taken a stand. He is considered by many as the son of the nation. What is at stake today, beyond what is done to this political prisoner, it is the renewal of hostilities towards the Iranian population. And Toomaj is one of the strongest voices in this fight.

JoeyStarr lends support

To denounce this situation, and more precisely the fate reserved for Toomaj Salehi, some would like French artists and rappers to take a stronger stand, like Kian Habibian, co-founder of the We are Iranian students association. “We had JoeyStarr, for example, who published a post on his story in support of Toomaj Salehi, but it’s true that ideally, we would like everyone in the artistic world to come forward. Afterwards, it’s also our job , as associations and activists to educate on this subject.”

In 2023, 853 Iranians were executed according to the NGO Amnesty International, a record since 2015.