Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi walked free on Sunday after serving a one-year sentence for his outspoken criticism of Iran’s regime during the 2022-2023 nationwide protests. Iran’s judiciary news outlet “Mizan” confirmed his release early on Monday.
Salehi, known for his politically charged lyrics, was initially sentenced to death in April by the revolutionary court.
The charges follow his alleged involvement in unrest sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in September 2022. Iran’s Supreme Court overturned his death sentence in June, reducing it to one term in prison.
Salehi became a prominent voice of the protests through his music, which honored the resistance and criticized Iran’s leadership. Authorities arrested him in October 2022 after he publicly supported the demonstrations, which began as an outcry over Amini’s death and evolved into contesting the Islamic Republic’s clerical leadership.
The protests represented the most significant challenge to Iran’s leaders in decades. A United Nations fact-finding mission determined in March that Amini’s death resulted from unlawful physical violence in custody.
The mission also highlighted the ongoing systemic discrimination and oppression against women in Iran.