Iranian pop singer Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, better known as Tataloo, has been sentenced to death after being convicted of blasphemy.
According to reformist newspaper Etemad, the Supreme Court overturned a previous five-year prison sentence, which had included charges of blasphemy, and reopened the case. This time, Tataloo was sentenced to death for insulting the Prophet Mohammed.
The report also noted that the verdict is not final and can still be appealed.
The 37-year-old underground artist had been living in Istanbul since 2018, but Turkish authorities deported him to Iran in December 2023, where he has been detained since.
In addition to the blasphemy charge, Tataloo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for promoting “prostitution” and faced other charges, including spreading “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic and distributing “obscene content.”
Tataloo had previously supported President Ibrahim Raisi during the 2017 election campaign and voiced his support for Iran’s nuclear program during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency, even releasing a song titled “Nuclear Energy.”
