This Popular Iranian Rapper Who Was Sentenced To Death For Singing About The Mahsa Amini Protests Has Been Freed
Toomaj Salehi had criticized the Iranian government in his songs and music videos, which went viral.
This popular Iranian rapper who was sentenced to death for singing about the Mahsa Amini protests has been freed.
33-year-old Toomaj Salehi was initially arrested in October 2022 during the mass anti-government protests that broke out following the death of Amini.
During that time, Salehi had criticized the Iranian government in his songs and music videos, which went viral.
In his last music video, he appeared to reference Amini and the crackdown on protesters, rapping, “Someone’s crime was dancing with her hair in the wind. Someone’s crime was that he or she was brave and criticized.”.
“44 years of your government. It's the year of failure,” he rapped.
Salehi was sentenced to death in April 2024 after he was found guilty of “corruption on earth”.
His death sentence sparked outrage, with more than 100 Western celebrities, including Coldplay, Sting and author Margaret Atwood, signing a statement calling for his release.
In June, Iran’s supreme court overturned his death sentence.
And on Dec. 2, Salehi’s legal team said he had been freed after 753 days in prison.
Rights groups have welcomed his release, saying that he should not have been imprisoned or sentenced to death in the first place.
Iran has executed at least nine people in connection with the protests, and many others remain at risk of being executed, according to Amnesty International.
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