Iranian dissident rapper reportedly remains defiant under torture by regime

For weeks, Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi has reportedly been subjected to severe torture in Isfahan prison after being abducted by regime forces over a month ago.

CBC News spoke to a source close to the rapper, who said they gathered information from within the prison. They said Toomaj, who is known professionally by his first name, is defiant and on at least one occasion began shouting anti-regime slogans; other cellmates reportedly joined in, leading to authorities isolating and beating the rapper.

The source, who CBC News has agreed not to identify given the ongoing violence targeting dissidents, said that when Toomaj was previously detained, he would rap some of his lyrics out loud from inside his jail cell. He was arrested in 2021 after releasing several music videos criticizing the Islamic Republic.

He was then arrested again Oct. 30 amid the ongoing protests and violent crackdowns in the country, as the regime has intensified efforts to silence dissent fuelled by the in-custody death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September.

In an exclusive interview with CBC News shortly before he was arrested, Toomaj emphasized that protests should continue peacefully until they grow large enough to overthrow the regime.

WATCH | Toomaj talked to CBC News in October, before his arrest:

The underground rapper was actively supporting the protests in Iran, releasing music, sending messages of support and even showing up on the streets himself. 

Following his recent arrest, the rapper was officially indicted on charges in late November; the most serious translates to "corruption on earth" — a charge that under Iran's Islamic Sharia law could carry a death sentence. 

The source said a previously planned charge of mohareb, or waging war against God, was left off Toomaj's indictment, potentially because of growing public pressure in support of him.

Toomaj's family has repeatedly called on Iran's judiciary to allow access to him. But relatives have not seen or spoken with him since he was abducted by regime forces in southwestern Iran.

The rapper's Twitter page, which has been run by a member of his team since his arrest, recently suggested that in addition to previous reports that Toomaj's leg and fingers were broken and his face damaged, he may now also be on a hunger strike.

Liberal MP and chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ali Ehsassi says he intends to follow up on this case with the Canadian government, including submitting names of any individuals who dealt directly with Toomaj's case, including his interrogator, prison warden and judicial officials. 

"The international community must remain steadfast in shining the spotlight on the macabre travesty Mr. Toomaj Salehi has endured, demand that all legal charges against him be dropped unconditionally, and that he be released from detention immediately," Ehsassi told CBC News.

Nearly 350,000 people had signed their names to an online petition started by Toomaj's family and supporters, calling for his release. The petition is to be delivered to Javaid Rehman, the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.