Iran Court Sentences Singer Tataloo To Death On Blasphemy Charges

An Iranian court has sentenced popular underground singer Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, better known as Tataloo, to death on appeal for charges of blasphemy, local media reported on Sunday. The Supreme Court overturned an earlier five-year prison sentence after accepting the prosecutor’s objection. The new verdict follows accusations that Tataloo had insulted Islam’s Prophet Mohammed.

Tataloo, 37, had been living in Istanbul since 2018 before he was extradited to Iran in December 2023. Since then, he has been behind bars. He was convicted for several offenses including promoting “prostitution,” spreading “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic, and publishing “obscene content.”

A rapper who fuses pop, R&B, and rap into his sound has become an incredibly popular but also polarizing figure. Once, he was viewed by some conservative Iranian politicians as a link to the younger, more progressive Iranian citizens. In 2017, Tataloo notably met with ultra-conservative Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a move that generated plenty of media buzz.

The sentence, which is still subject to appeal, has again brought Tataloo’s judicial battles into the spotlight, including his advocacy for Iran’s nuclear program in 2015. The latest verdict has been criticized by those who see it as part of Iran’s ongoing crackdown on artists and activists.

Tataloo’s case has now become a symbol of the struggle between Iran’s conservative rulers and its young population, who have many liberal freedom supporters.