Iran on Wednesday sentenced a popular rapper to death for participating in the nationwide protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody in 2022.
Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to death by a revolutionary court in Isfahan after being found guilty of "corruption on earth," his lawyer Amir Raeesian told the Iranian Shargh newspaper.
The court did not uphold a supreme court ruling reducing a previous prison sentence to three years, avoiding a death sentence that has seen several protesters executed in the past year.
It had ordered his release on bail in November, but Mr Salehi was re-arrested by security forces less than two weeks later.
The death sentence will be appealed, his lawyer said.
There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.
Mr Salehi is one of the most prominent figures associated with the popular protests, which swept across Iran in September 2022 and rocked the decades-long authoritarian rule of the Tehran regime.
Speaking to The National in July, a German MP campaigning for his release said there was "nothing lawful" about his trial, in a country where legal proceedings against dissidents are often criticised as sham proceedings.
"Everything happened behind closed doors. This alone shows how weak the accusations of the Iranian regime against Toomaj are," said Ye-One Rhie, a German MP and supporter of Mr Salehi.
He was tortured in prison and only allowed brief meetings with his lawyers, she added.
Mr Salehi was a long-time critic of Tehran even before the protests over the death of Ms Amini, who was detained by morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab loosely, violating Iran's strict public dress code for women.
The rapper made references to Ms Amini in songs released during the protests, saying in 'Mouse Hole': "Someone’s crime was that her hair was flowing in the wind, someone’s crime was that he or she was brave and were outspoken.”
The ruling comes as Iranians report an increase on morality police crackdowns across Iran.
Last week, morality police officers were filmed violently beating women in the streets of Tehran as activists warned Iran's tensions with Israel were being used to distract from growing oppression.
Human Rights Watch said the rapper's trial and the death sentence are a "cruel and outrageous assault on fundamental freedoms and the right to a fair trial".
“Iran’s revolutionary court judges act like they are empowered to assault citizens’ basic rights and make a mockery of any existing legal safeguards,” said Tara Sepheri Far, HRW's senior Iran researcher.
Salehi’s "outrageous verdict is just the latest manifestation of Iran’s brutal justice system. He should be released immediately," she added.
Iran is one of the world's biggest executioners, according to human rights groups and organisations advocating against the death penalty.
Human rights monitors have raised the alarm over a significant rise in executions, particularly since the start of the Gaza war in October.
Some 129 people, including four women, have been executed so far this year, according to figures from Iran Human Rights.
More than 172 people were put to death between October and December last year, according to data compiled by Iran Human Rights and Hengaw, which tracks human rights violations in Kurdish areas of Iran. It accused Tehran of using international attention on Gaza to increase domestic crackdowns.
Juvenile offenders and members of ethnic minorities make up the majority of those put to death.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
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India squads
T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
Paris%20Agreement
%3Cp%3EArticle%2014%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E1.%20%5BThe%20Cop%5D%20shall%20periodically%20take%20stock%20of%20the%20implementation%20of%20this%20Agreement%20to%20assess%20the%20collective%20progress%20towards%20achieving%20the%20purpose%20of%20this%20Agreement%20and%20its%20long-term%20goals%20(referred%20to%20as%20the%20%22global%20stocktake%22)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E2.%20%5BThe%20Cop%5D%20shall%20undertake%20its%20first%20global%20stocktake%20in%202023%20and%20every%20five%20years%20thereafter%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Masters%20of%20the%20Air
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cary%20Joji%20Fukunaga%2C%20Dee%20Rees%2C%20Anna%20Boden%2C%20Ryan%20Fleck%2C%20Tim%20Van%20Patten%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Austin%20Butler%2C%20Callum%20Turner%2C%20Anthony%20Boyle%2C%20Barry%20Keoghan%2C%20Sawyer%20Spielberg%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
england euro squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
FA Cup fifth round draw
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Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
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