Iranian court sentences pop star Tataloo to death for blasphemy
By Sabiu Abdullahi
An Iranian court has reportedly sentenced Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, popularly known as Tataloo, to death for blasphemy following an appeal.
Local media revealed that the decision came after the prosecutor objected to an earlier five-year prison sentence.
“The supreme court accepted the prosecutor’s objection,” reported Etemad, a reformist newspaper, on Sunday.
According to the paper, the case was reopened, and the defendant was subsequently sentenced to death for “insulting the prophet,” referring to Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
The ruling, however, is not final and may still be appealed, according to reports.
Tataloo, a 37-year-old underground musician who blends rap, pop, and R&B, had been living in Istanbul since 2018.
He was extradited to Iran by Turkish authorities in December 2023 and has been in detention ever since.
The singer was also sentenced to 10 years for allegedly promoting “prostitution” and faced charges in other cases, including spreading “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic and sharing “obscene content.”
Tataloo, who is known for his extensive tattoos, was once embraced by conservative Iranian politicians to appeal to liberal-minded youth.
In 2017, he even participated in a televised meeting with Iran’s ultra-conservative president at the time, Ebrahim Raisi, who later died in a helicopter crash.
In 2015, Tataloo released a song supporting Iran’s nuclear programme, which was part of a deal to dismantle it in exchange for sanctions relief.
This agreement, however, fell apart in 2018 during the presidency of Donald Trump.