Tehran, Iran:
An Iranian court has handed down a death sentence to popular singer Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, also known as Tataloo, after being found guilty of blasphemy, as reported by local media on Sunday.
According to the reformist newspaper Etemad, the Supreme Court accepted the prosecutor’s objection to a previous five-year jail term and reopened the case. This time, the defendant was sentenced to death for insulting the Prophet Mohammed.
The report mentioned that the verdict is subject to appeal and is not final.
Tataloo, a 37-year-old musician, had been residing in Istanbul since 2018 until he was extradited to Iran by Turkish authorities in December 2023. He has been in detention in Iran since then.
Aside from blasphemy, Tataloo had also been sentenced to 10 years for promoting “prostitution” and faced other charges related to disseminating “propaganda” against the Islamic republic and publishing “obscene content.”
The singer, known for his blend of rap, pop, and R&B, had previously garnered attention from conservative politicians as a means of connecting with liberal-minded Iranian youth.
In 2015, Tataloo released a song in support of Iran’s nuclear program, which faced challenges during the Trump administration in 2018.
It is important to note that this story has been published without any edits by NDTV staff and is sourced from a syndicated feed.
