#FreeToomaj: The Campaign To Save Iranian Rapper Toomaj Salehi From Execution 

Last week, the Islamic Republic of Iran sentenced renowned Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi to death. His crime? Rapping in support of the Woman Life Freedom movement and posting videos of himself at protests.  

When the women-led protests broke out in September 2022 after the killing of Mahsa Jina Amini by the Morality Police for ‘bad hijab’, the Woman Life Freedom movement swept across Iran, with huge crowds taking to the streets and women burning their headscarves in protest. Salehi, whose eviscerating raps have always boldly highlighted issues of social justice, was vocal in his support for the protestors. He was initially arrested in October 2022 and handed a prison sentence of six years and three months in July 2023, avoiding a death sentence due to a Supreme Court ruling. 

He was released on bail in November 2023, and made a video in which he described the physical and mental torture he suffered in jail. During his imprisonment – the majority of which he spent in solitary confinement – Salehi says he was badly beaten; his fingers, arms, legs and teeth broken. In spite of his emaciated form, on his release he was defiant and courageous. He called out the Iranian regime for a fabricated video showing him apologising for his actions, and reassured fans that he was unrepentant – thanking them for their support. 

Salehi was rearrested within two weeks, before he could have the operation he needed to fix a badly broken leg, in what was seen as a clear response from the regime to his speaking out about his incarceration and torture. Last week, in a separate ruling, the Isfahan Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death. 

Salehi is part of the ‘rap-e Farsi’ genre, which has been popular in Iran since the 1990s. He raps in Persian and – like his hero Tupac Shakur – writes searing songs about the injustices that ordinary people face. He is so outspoken and direct in his criticisms of the regime that when his first big hit Rat Hole landed in 2021, he had to do an Instagram Live to prove that he is actually based in Iran – no one could believe that someone living inside the country would dare to be so openly critical of the human rights abuses and corruption of the repressive regime.  

But Salehi has never shied away from speaking truth to power, voicing the grievances of the people of Iran in uncompromising rap that is as powerful as it is catchy. He has become a symbol of the people’s struggle for their rights: his supporters have been papering the cities of Iran with his words and images, planting ‘trees of hope’ in his name and begging for international support to save him from execution.  

Imprisoned human rights activist and Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi has spoken out from her prison cell in Iran, calling for an international campaign to save Salehi from death: “Toomaj Salehi epitomises the resounding voice of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and its anthem,” she says. “His execution would signify the death of our vibrant movement.” 

To get involved in the campaign, amplify Toomaj Salehi’s name, music and story using #freetoomaj 

Kamin Mohammadi is a journalist, broadcaster, public speaker and author of books including the memoir The Cypress Tree: A Love Letter To Iran. You can find her @kaminmohammadi on Instagram and X