Toomaj Salehi

Age: 32

Activities/Rights: Rapper

Status: Isfahan Central Prison

Judicial status: Sentenced to death 

Violations: Arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and ill-treatment, access to lawyer, lack of due process, unfair trial, denial of medical care

Toomaj Salehi is a rapper who rose to fame through his protest songs which addressed a wide range of issues faced by ordinary Iranians including poverty, repression, corruption and impunity and demanded justice and accountability. Previously arrested three years prior, Toomaj was arrested again at his home in Isfahan on 13 September 2021 and transferred to an unknown location. He was released on bail on 21 September 2021. Undeterred, Toomaj released his first song on the occasion of Teachers’ Day after being released from prison and while still on bail, he continued with releases on the occasion of World Day Against the Death Penalty and the November 2019 nationwide protests. In November 2021, he was acquitted of the charge of “inciting people to war and killing”, but the charges of “propaganda against the system and insulting the leader” had been sent for trial. His sentence was reduced to a six-month suspended sentence and a fine.

Toomaj was violently re-arrested on 30 October 2022 in the midst of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" nationwide protests. He was subjected to torture and ill-treatment, forced to repent on camera and denied medical treatment and access to his lawyer. In November 2022, he was indicted of the charges of "efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) through publishing widespread lies (his tweets were used as examples), causing major damage, forming and running an illegal group in order to disrupt national security and collaborating with a hostile state and inciting and encouraging others to commit violent acts." His lawyer, Amir Raeisian who was eventually granted access to his case, reported that he was only granted 30 minutes with his client prior to the trial, an insufficient time to even explain all the charges to him. Toomaj Salehi's trial took place between 18 June-3 July 2023 at Branch One of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Barati. On 10 July, his lawyer reported that he was sentenced to a total of 18 years and 9 months imprisonment with time served. On 18 November 2023, Toomaj was released on bail after Branch 39 of the Supreme Court overturned his sentence and referred his case back to Branch One of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court. He ws rearrested on 30 November 2023 after speaking out against the torture he had been subjected to behind bars. On 24 April 2024, his lawyer reported that the Court had sentenced Toomaj to death for charges of efsad-fil-arz. His lawyers stated they would be appealing the decision.