Rapper Toomaj Salehi's Release Highlights Iranian Protest Struggles

Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi was released from prison after serving a one-year sentence for protesting against the regime. Initially sentenced to death for charges linked to unrest, his sentence was overturned. His music supported protests following Mahsa Amini's death, a violent incident that challenged Iran's leaders.

Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi regained his freedom on December 1, following a year-long incarceration for his vocal opposition to the Iranian regime. The news of his release was reported by the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency on Monday.

Salehi was initially handed a death sentence by a revolutionary court in April, tied to unrest in the country from 2022 to 2023. However, this decision was overturned by Iran's Supreme Court in June.

Salehi's lyrics paid tribute to ongoing protests that erupted after Mahsa Amini's death in police custody. Her demise in September 2022 initiated widespread demonstrations, posing one of the biggest threats to Iran's clerical authority in recent times, as reported by a United Nations fact-finding mission in March.

(With inputs from agencies.)