Iranian court sentences pop singer Tataloo to death for blasphemy

An Iranian court has sentenced pop singer Tataloo to death on appeal after he was convicted of blasphemy.

Per a report from local newspaper Etemad, “The supreme court accepted the prosecutor’s objection” to five-year jail term for blasphemy. It went on to say that “the case was reopened, and this time the defendant was sentenced to death for insulting the prophet”, referring to Islam’s prophet Muhammad.

The verdict is reportedly not final and can still be appealed against, per The Guardian.

Tataloo – real name Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo – emigrated to Istanbul in 2018 after several arrests by the Iranian authorities and failure to get a music activity license from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

In December 2023 Turkish police handed him over to Iran, where he has been in detention since.

He had also been sentenced to 10 years for promoting “prostitution” and in other cases was charged with disseminating “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic and publishing “obscene content”.

The underground singer, known for his heavily tattooed appearance, released his debut album ‘Zire Hamkaf’ in 2011. Since then he has released 21 albums, including 2021’s ‘Fereshteh’, which saw him become the first Iranian musician to collaborate with Universal Music Group.

He was previously utilised by conservative politicians who sought to reach out to young, liberal Iranians. In 2017 he held a televised meeting with the conservative Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, and in 2015 he released a song in support of Iran’s nuclear programme.

The post Iranian court sentences pop singer Tataloo to death for blasphemy appeared first on NME.