Toomaj Salehi
Iranian rapper whose 2024 death sentence over the 2022 protests was overturned.
Iran hanged two 20-year-old protesters in Isfahan on 3 November 2026. Toomaj Salehi was condemned in the same city in April 2024, and Iran's Supreme Court quashed his sentence two months later.
Last refreshed: 8 November 2026
Timeline for Toomaj Salehi
Mentioned in: Iran hangs two 20-year-olds in Isfahan
Iran Conflict 2026Mentioned in: Iran hangs two men over Mashhad unrest
Iran Conflict 2026Background
Toomaj Salehi's case is the clearest example of a death sentence from Iran's 2022 protests being reversed. The rights group Hengaw says nine of the 12 people condemned in the Isfahan case linked to the January 2026 unrest have now been hanged, including two men executed on 3 November 2026.
Security forces arrested the rapper on 30 October 2022, during the protests that followed Mahsa Amini's death. The Islamic Revolutionary Court of Isfahan convicted him of "corruption on earth" and sentenced him to death on 24 April 2024. In June 2024 the Supreme Court struck down the sentence and ordered a retrial after sustained international pressure. He left prison in early December 2024, having served a separate sentence.
His release came before the 2026 wave of protest executions. Human Rights Watch and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center counted at least 59 men executed on politically motivated security charges between 18 March and the end of August 2026.
Who is Toomaj Salehi?
Was Toomaj Salehi executed?
Why was Toomaj Salehi sentenced to death?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 8 November 2026. Editorial standards.