An appeal against a death sentence given to an Iranian rapper in connection with the nation’s continuing protests was successful, but an appeal against a death sentence given to another individual was denied.
The Iranian judiciary announced on Saturday that Saman Seyyedi, a rapper of ethnic Kurd descent also known as Saman Yasin, had successfully appealed to the Supreme Court. Without providing any additional information, it cited shortcomings in the case’s investigation. Seyyedi was found guilty of moharebeh, or “waging war against God,” by an Iranian court after supporting demonstrators online and writing several anti-government songs. He had been charged with trying to assassinate security personnel. Another young man, Mohammad Ghobadlou, had lost his appeal, but a clarification later in the day made it clear that the Supreme Court had rejected his appeal.
