Iran Sentences popular pop singer to de@th for for ‘blasphemy’

An Iranian court sentenced popular singer Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, often known as Tataloo, to death after he was convicted of blasphemy.

“The Supreme Court accepted the prosecutor’s objection” to a previous five-year jail term on offences including blasphemy, reformist newspaper Etemad reported online.

It said “the case was reopened, and this time the defendant was sentenced to death for insulting the prophet”, referring to Islam’s Prophet Mohammed.

The report also stated that the verdict was not final and may yet be appealed.

The 37-year-old underground musician had lived in Istanbul since 2018, until Turkish police handed him over to Iran in December 2023. He has been detained in Iran since then.

Tataloo 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”.

Tataloo previously endorsed President Ibrahim Raisi during the 2017 election campaign. During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency, he also actively supported the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, even performing a song titled ‘Nuclear Energy’.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli