In Video After Release, Iranian Rapper Salehi Says He Didn’t “Confess” or Cooperate

Iranwire – Popular Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, who was released from prison earlier this month after spending more than a year behind bars, says integrators tortured him for a long period of time and broke one of his arms and legs.

In a video released on November 27, Salehi says that he neither admitted guilt nor cooperated with the security forces, despite the torture and other ill-treatment he endured while in custody.

Salehi, 32, was arrested in October 2022 after making public statements in support of nationwide protests that had erupted the previous month.

A court sentenced him to six years and three months in prison in July on a charge of “corruption on Earth.” He was freed on bail on November 18 after the Supreme Court returned his case to a lower court.

In his video, the singer expresses his gratitude to the Iranian people for their unwavering support and crediting them with saving his life.

“They tortured me for a prolonged time, striking me on the head and face, and even breaking my arm and leg,” he says, adding that his jailers most probably injected him with adrenaline to keep him conscious in order to subject him to more torture.

Addressing rumors and false allegations published by state media, he says, “Now that they have failed to keep me imprisoned, they seek to tarnish my reputation through slander, claiming that I implicated individuals in my confession.”

“I had nothing to confess, and none of the individuals involved in the production of my videos were arrested,” he adds.

Regarding a forced confession video that has circulated, Salehi says, “I never apologized to my interrogator. Instead, the agents manipulated the nine-hour interrogation footage to create the illusion of an apology to the intelligence agent.”

He further says he has lodged complaints against the Islamic Republic’s media outlets for the lies they had propagated about him. 

The rapper cites a news report claiming that a death sentence pronounced against him was changed to a prison term due to his alleged cooperation with agents. 

Salehi’s brutal arrest and prolonged imprisonment has sparked international condemnation.