Toomaj Salehi re-arrested by security forces on Kish Island

Hengaw – Thursday, June 19, 2025

Toomaj Salehi, prominent dissident rapper and former political prisoner, has been arrested once again by security agents on Kish Island. Salehi was arrested during the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Salehi, a native of Shahin Shahr in Isfahan Province, was detained on Thursday, June 19, 2025. His whereabouts and condition remain unknown.

A post on Salehi’s official Instagram page stated:

“We have no information about which authority is responsible for his arrest, where he is being held, or his current condition. The government is fully responsible for his safety and well-being. Toomaj must be released immediately.”

Salehi was previously released on December 2, 2024, after completing a one-year prison sentence in Dastgerd Prison, Isfahan. At that time, his lawyer Mostafa Nili announced that Salehi’s previous case—stemming from his 2022 arrest—had been officially closed, with Branch 5 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court dismissing all remaining charges.

Toomaj was charged with “corruption on Earth” and initially sentenced to death. Following an appeal, he was ultimately acquitted of that charge.

Toomaj Salehi was originally arrested on October 30, 2022, during the peak of the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” protests, in Gerd Bisheh village, Boroojen County, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province.

Salehi has been repeatedly detained and prosecuted by the Iranian judicial system for his artistic and civil activism.