Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi was jailed after he called out the Islamic Republic. Now he's facing the death penalty

In a country where criticising the government can get you killed, Toomaj Salehi has remained fearless. Mahsa Jina Amini was arrested by Iranian authorities for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly and died in custody in 2022. trying to celebrate a world that should exist; an Iran that is free," says Nik Williams, a campaigner at the Index on Censorship, which is behind a global campaign to try and stop Salehi's execution. Iran's "killing spree" has continued into 2024, Amnesty says, with at least 95 recorded executions by March 20, many related to drug offences but some in connection with the protests. Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the New York-headquartered Center for Human Rights in Iran, says Salehi's case "underscores the glaring unlawfulness and injustice of the Islamic Republic's judicial system". Salehi's music is driven by a desire for a better world, Nik Williams says, and "that's what people in Iran took to the streets for as well".