Dissident Filmmakers Visit Newly Released Iranian Rapper

Prominent filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof met Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi after his release from prison over supporting anti-government protests.

The 33-year-old rapper is known for his protest songs directly criticizing the Iranian regime. He was arrested in October 2022 amid an intensified crackdown by the Islamic Republic on opposition figures, following the nationwide Woman, Life, Freedom protests, ignited by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

After a year in prison, including 252 days in solitary confinement, Toomaj Salehi was released on bail on November 19.The award-winning filmmakers have also been free on bail since February.

Panahi was imprisoned early in July 2022 following a visit to the Evin prison to inquire about the whereabouts of Rasoulof, who was arrested the previous day.

Prior to the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests, Rasoulof was imprisoned after signing a petition calling for the Iranian security forces to cease their violent attacks on demonstrators in Abadan, southwest Iran.

Last spring, hundreds of residents of Abadan, the capital of Khuzestan in the southwest of Iran, took to the streets to protest the fatal collapse of an unfinished building. Their demands included the prosecution of those responsible for the accident, including the mayor and members of the city council.