In brief
Toomaj Salehi, a 34-year-old Iranian rapper, has been released from prison after serving a year of a six-year-and-three-month sentence for propaganda against the state. Salehi was initially sentenced to death in April 2024 for the serious charge of "corruption on earth," which was later overturned. His release comes two years after his arrest in October 2022 amid nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Advocates like Index on Censorship have campaigned for his freedom, emphasizing that he should have never been imprisoned. Salehi's bold critiques of the Iranian regime through his music led to his incarceration as authorities cracked down on dissent following protests that resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of arrests.
