Italy on Thursday condemned the death sentence handed to an Iranian rapper for supporting nationwide protests sparked by the death of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.
"I strongly condemn the Iranian authorities' sentence imposing the death penalty on musician Toomaj Salehi," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a statement posted on social media in English.
"The government opposes the death penalty in all places and circumstances. We continue to defend freedom and human rights around the world."
Salehi, 33, was arrested in October 2022 for publicly backing the protests triggered by the death of Amini, a 22-year-old arrested by Iran's morality police for an alleged breach of strict dress rules for women.
