TEHRAN — Iranian security forces have arrested popular singer and social activist Toomaj Salehi in the western province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari. The dissident rapper, who is commonly known by his first name, was reportedly taken along with a group of friends from the village of Gerd Bisheh to an unknown location.

Toomaj had used his popular media platforms to speak against Iranian authorities and support the nationwide protests in the weeks after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini.  

The Iranian Student News Network first broke the arrest story on its Telegram channel earlier this week, with a picture that appeared to be a blindfolded Toomaj. The news agency, which is associated with the hard-line Basij militia at universities, described him as “one of the leaders of riots who promoted violence on social media.” It added that the singer was captured while trying to illegally flee Iran. That claim was refuted by Toomaj’s official Twitter account and his uncle, Eghbal Eghbali.  

In a letter published on Instagram, Eghbali revealed that Toomaj is being subjected to “the cruelest methods of torture.” He called on the Iranian people and the international community to save the life of Toomaj. Thousands of fans reshared the plea on Instagram and Twitter, and a gathering was organized in front of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin on Nov. 1.