Iran: two dissidents freed, a rapper faces the death penalty

Photo provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him greeting a crowd of Basij volunteers loyal to the Islamic Republic, before addressing them in the capital Tehran on November 26, 2022. AFP - -

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Iranian power is blowing hot and cold in the face of the protest movement.

Two dissidents, including a footballer, were released;

but at the same time a rapper has been accused of being an "enemy of God", which can earn him the death penalty.

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With our correspondent in Tehran,

First, the international footballer

, of Kurdish origin, who had denounced the repression in Kurdistan, was released on bail.

He had also supported the protest movement.

Similarly, the authorities released an opposition activist, Hossein Ronaghi, who was hospitalized.

A photo of him showing him in the hospital bed, with his mother by his side, has been published.

These two releases occur in a particular context.

Indeed, after the

football team against Wales, and two days before the meeting with the United States, it is a way for the authorities to make a gesture of appeasement.

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Already six people sentenced to death

But at the same time, rapper Toomaj Salehi has been accused of propaganda against the regime and acting against national security.

He faces the death penalty.

Prior to his arrest, he posted a video with a song and a statement clearly calling for the overthrow of the Islamic regime.

Six protesters have been sentenced to death so far for violent actions during protests over the past eleven weeks.

Finally, the media announced that the manager of a bank in the holy city of Qom had been removed from his post for having provided services to an unveiled woman, which is prohibited in Iran.

► To read also: Iran: the UN plans to launch an international investigation

The prosecutor of the Isfahan region has just announced that #ToomajSalehi the dissident rapper and activist against the regime, arrested for a month is accused of "corruption on earth" and his trial will take place soon.

He faces the death penalty for this charge.

pic.twitter.com/GfIHGRyxSe

— letters from Tehran (@LettresTeheran) November 27, 2022

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