A jailed Iranian hip-hop artist has been blindfolded and had his fingers broken under torture by the regime, according to a German politician campaigning for his release.
Toomaj Salehi was arrested during anti-regime protests in Iran last year and faces charges of “corruption on earth”, which carry the death penalty and are often used against dissidents.
German MP Ye-One Rhie published footage that she said showed Mr Salehi in Iranian captivity, wearing a blindfold and “wincing in pain” after more than 200 days in detention.
The footage appeared to have been broadcast by an Iranian news agency and came as Ms Rhie warned it was illegal to extract confessions using torture.
She said Mr Salehi was suffering from untreated injuries after months of solitary confinement in Iran.
“You can see him wincing from pain. You can see his broken fingers and hand. Just because he dared to have a different opinion than the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Ms Rhie said.
“Those deeds are punishable by law. So, what does it say about the rule of law in the Islamic Republic of Iran?
“It says that there is no rule of law, no guarantee at all that Toomaj and the many other prisoners will face a just trial. That worries us.”
The protests in Iran followed the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in custody last September, three days after she had been detained by the morality police in Tehran for wearing her hijab “improperly”.
Ms Rhie, who is one of several German MPs acting as sponsor for prisoners in Iran, said Mr Salehi's court date was “still unknown but drawing closer”.
She has previously dismissed assurances from Iran's ambassador in Germany that Mr Salehi’s trial would be conducted fairly.
Her intervention came as Iran announced the execution of three prisoners linked to the protests, ignoring US calls for a reprieve.
Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were put to death in the central Iranian city of Isfahan.
Norbert Roettgen, a senior opposition MP in Germany, said on Friday that Berlin and the EU were “not even trying” to save the lives of protesters.
He called on Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to “find words for the horror that is taking place in Iran”.
A German-Iranian national, Jamshid Sharmahd, was sentenced to death in February.
The sentence led to tit-for-tat expulsions from embassies in Berlin and Tehran.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
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Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
