ARC Condemns Iran’s Targeting and Harassment of Dissident Rapper Salehi Amid Escalating War
Iran
Latest Arrest of Rapper Marks New Escalation in Harassment Campaign by Iranian Authorities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 June 2025
(NEW YORK) – Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) strongly condemns the reported rearrest of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi by unidentified security forces on June 19, 2025, on Kish Island, as confirmed by a message posted on his verified Instagram account and later reported by local human rights groups. This comes nearly six months after Iran’s Supreme Court overturned his death sentence in June 2024 and follows his release from prison in December 2024. At the time of writing, Iranian authorities have made no official statement confirming his location or legal status, raising serious concerns about enforced disappearance and continued retaliation for his creative expression. ARC calls on the Iranian government to immediately disclose Salehi’s whereabouts, release him without delay, and end its campaign of intimidation against artists.
“This latest arrest of Toomaj Salehi, after previous arrests and even a commuted death sentence, is yet another chapter in a campaign of sustained harassment that the rapper is facing for his public comments,” said ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault. “As the Iranian people–and the artists among them–face a perilous and deepening military conflict, we join the numerous rights organizations who fear that the climate for free expression in the country could deteriorate even further. We call on the Iranian government to immediately guarantee Salehi’s safety, drop any spurious charges, and release him immediately.”
“Toomaj Salehi was arrested on Kish Island,” read a message posted on accounts belonging to the rapper on Instagram and X. “We have no information about the detaining agency, his place of detention, or his health. The government is directly responsible for anything that happens to his health and life….Toomaj should be released immediately.” The reported arrest of Salehi—who is known to fans as Toomaj and had previously been sentenced to death in the wake of nationwide protests—comes amid the nearly week-old war triggered by Israeli attacks on Iran, and as rights groups have warned of an increasingly heightened crackdown on dissent by Tehran. Salehi has full-throatedly condemned Israel’s strikes on his country, while also decrying the failure of Iranian authorities to protect citizens in the face of the bombardment which began on 13 June 2025.
Salehi was initially arrested in October 2022 after publicly supporting the mass protest movement, “Woman, Life, Freedom,” that emerged in response to the killing of Mahsa Amini by Iranian security forces following her arrest for allegedly improperly wearing her hijab. Salehi had released songs and social media posts in support of the protests that were also critical of the government. Salehi was sentenced to six years in prison but was released on bail on November 18, 2023, after having spent 252 days in solitary confinement. He was arrested again two weeks later.
In 2024 alone, ARC documented at least four instances of Iranian authorities targeting artists and creative practitioners. Since 2022, ARC has received almost 70 requests for assistance from Iranian artists, underscoring the dire situation faced by Iranian creatives in recent years. Among those targeted are cartoonist Atena Farghadani, rapper Vafa Ahmadpour (known as Vafadar), Saman Yasin, a Kurdish rapper, and Grammy award-winning Shervin Hajipour. In the past two years, all those named have received prison sentences and travel bans. With Israeli bombardments wreaking havoc on Iran’s energy sector and infrastructure–and the regime initiating sweeping internet blackouts due to the alleged hacking of government servers–there is a danger that the wave of repression faced by Iran’s artists could continue to spread as the consequence of an increasingly unstable regime. The worsening conflict also endangers the personal safety of millions of Iranians and has resulted in the death of over 263 civilians to date, with the young Iranian poet Parnia Abbasi being among those killed by an Israeli strike.
About ARC
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) is an international organization committed to promoting and advancing the right to artistic freedom worldwide. Founded in 2017, ARC works to protect artists and cultural workers who are at risk because of their creative expression, often connected to their identities or roles within their communities. By providing vital resources and support, ARC helps artists at risk overcome challenges like persecution, censorship, threats, and violence from both state and non-state actors—whether for their artistic expression or the broader impact they have on cultural, social, and political issues.
For press inquiries, please contact:
Julie Trébault
Executive Director
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)
+1 646.860.5446