Iranian pop star Tataloo sentenced to death for 'blasphemy': Report
What's the story
Controversial Iranian pop star Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, popularly known as Tataloo, has reportedly been sentenced to death by an Iranian court. He was found guilty of insulting Prophet Muhammad, which is considered blasphemy in Iran. The verdict was given by Tehran's First Criminal Court after a retrial overturned his earlier five-year prison sentence for the same offense. Here's all you need to know about this case.
Verdict details
This verdict is not final
The Iranian newspaper Etemad reported that "the Supreme Court accepted the prosecutor's objection" to Tataloo's initial five-year prison sentence. This reopened the case and subsequently handed the pop star a death sentence. However, this verdict is not final and can still be challenged in the Supreme Court, per media reports. Meanwhile, Iran International reported on Sunday that the country's judiciary denied claims of Tataloo being sentenced to death for blasphemy.
Legal history
Tataloo's arrest and previous legal troubles
Tataloo, an underground musician famous for fusing rap, pop, and R&B, was extradited from Istanbul to Iran in December 2023 and has remained in detention since. The 37-year-old had been residing in Istanbul since 2018 before Turkish police handed him over to Iran. He had previously faced a 10-year sentence for promoting "prostitution" and was charged with anti-regime propaganda and publishing "obscene content."
Information
Tataloo's engagement with conservative Iranian politics
Despite his controversial image, Tataloo has previously met with conservative Iranian politicians, including an awkward televised meeting with the late President Ebrahim Raisi in 2017. In 2015, he released a song supporting Iran's nuclear program, but it faced setbacks after the US pulled out of the deal in 2018.
Execution statistics
Meanwhile, Iran's execution rate has been rising
The news of Tataloo's sentence comes amid reports of a rise in executions in Iran. In 2024, at least 901 people were executed in the country, the highest in nine years and a six percent increase from the previous year, reported Independent. This includes around 40 executions in a single week in December, according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.