Iranian Rapper Toomaj Salehi Transferred To Esfahan Prison
Dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi was transferred to Dastgerd Prison in Esfahan on Sunday after spending several days in undisclosed detention.
A fresh case has been initiated against him at the Revolutionary Court of Esfahan in the latest arrest just days after he was released from prison.
The 33-year-old artist was apprehended by plainclothes officers on a Babol street in northern Iran last Thursday. The arrest, reported without any judicial order, allegedly involved severe physical abuse, with officers purportedly using the butts of their AK-47 rifles and pistols.
Salehi had spent over a year behind bars, including 252 days in solitary confinement and was released on bail on November 18th. In response to his re-arrest, a trending campaign on Friday garnered over 75,000 mentions of Toomaj Salehi on the X social network, with many posts questioning his whereabouts.
Amir Raisian, Salehi's legal representative, posted on X: "Toomaj finally contacted his family today, stating that he was transferred to Dastgerd Prison yesterday afternoon."
Questions surround the authorization under which Toomaj was held from December 9 to December 12, especially considering the legal restriction on detentions exceeding one year, Raisian said.
Salehi rose to prominence for his protest songs addressing social issues and government injustices in Iran. His initial arrest in October 2022 was part of a broader crackdown on political opponents of the regime following the uprising sparked by the death in morality police custody of Mahsa Amini.
