The Guardian:

More than 100 figures from the worlds of music, culture and human rights activism – including Coldplay and Sting – have signed a statement calling for the release of the Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi who has been sentenced to death in Iran after protesting in support of women’s rights.

The 33-year-old, who was a vocal supporter of the Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran was sentenced to death by a court in the city of Isfahan on 24 April, according to his lawyer.

He was originally arrested in September 2022, and spent a year and 21 days in prison, including 252 days in solitary confinement. After being released on bail, he described being “severely tortured” during his time in prison. He was arrested again two weeks after his release, in December 2023, and charged with “corruption on Earth”.

Through his music, Salehi was outspoken in his support of the demonstrations in the months following the death of Mahsa Amini – who died while in police custody in 2022 after being arrested for allegedly wearing an “improper hijab”. Amini’s death sparked widespread protest across Iran.

The statement calling for Salehi’s release, drawn up by the advocacy group Index on Censorship, is supported by Jade Thirlwall of Little Mix, DJ Rob Da Bank, writer Margaret Atwood, and theatre-maker Roshi Nasehi.

The statement says: “As artists, musicians, writers and leading cultural figures we stand in solidarity with Toomaj Salehi. We call for his death sentence to be immediately and unconditionally quashed and for him to be released from detention without delay, with all other charges dismissed.

“Art must be allowed to criticise, to provoke, to question and to challenge authority. That is both our right and our duty as artists.”

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