Tortured Iranian Rapper Denied Surgical Procedure in Jail

Toomaj Salehi, a popular Iranian rapper incarcerated for supporting anti-establishment protests, continues to be denied medical treatment for injuries he sustained while in custody, his lawyer says.

Salehi was violently arrested on November 30 amid nationwide demonstrations sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while she was in police custody. 

The artist, whose fingers and leg were broken under torture, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison after spending more than eight months in solitary confinement. He is being held in Tehran’s Evin prison.

Salehi’s  legal representative, Amir Raisian, told local media on November 8 that the surgical procedure needed to treat his leg “has been repeatedly postponed until now.” 

"The reasons for these delays have varied,” the lawyer said. “But in the past one or two months, after other physicians examined Toomaj Salehi's medical records, the need for surgery was definitively confirmed. However, an agreement on this matter has yet to be reached."

Raisian said Salehi had also been denied communication with him and his family members, and that his complaint against prison and judicial authorities has not been adequately addressed.

In the runup to his arrest, Salehi released songs that criticized the government and supported the widespread protests demanding more freedoms and women's rights, and posted pictures and videos of himself during demonstrations.

His arrest and conviction have been widely criticized both domestically and internationally.