Iranian rapper Tataloo sentenced to death after being convicted of blasphemy

Iranian rapper and singer Tataloo, real name Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, has been sentenced to death after he was convicted of blasphemy, local Iranian media reports.

The 37-year-old popstar was extradited from Turkey to Iran in December 2023 following claims that he had received complaints in Istanbul, where he’d been living since 2018.

Tataloo was then detained after Turkish police handed him over to Iran in late 2023. He’s remained in detention ever since.

Over the weekend, Iranian news outlets began reporting that Tataloo was sentenced to death on charges of ‘sabb al-nabi’, or insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

According to Iran Front Page, the supreme court “accepted the prosecutor’s objection” to handing Tataloo a five-year prison sentence, instead reopening the case in a retrial where he was reportedly sentenced to death for blasphemy.

They also reported that the sentence was issued by the First Branch of Tehran’s Criminal Court. The decision is not final, it’s reported, and can be appealed against in the Supreme Court.

Speaking in his defense on trial, Tataloo said: “I have certainly made mistakes and many of my behaviours have been wrong – I apologise for my mistakes.”

The Judiciary in Iran has since denied reports that Tataloo was handed a death sentence, claiming that the final verdict is yet to be given. "He has recently become eligible for leniency under legal provisions,” they said (via Iran International).

“Leniency provisions, or legal reprieves, are measures outlined in criminal law to assist convicts in line with the restorative justice approach.”

Tataloo has been a controversial figure in music for over a decade, previously having come under fire when he pledged his support for Iran’s nuclear program, and advocating for young people below the age of 16 to be able to get married.

In early 2024, Tataloo also faced multiple prison sentences, where he was accused of “promoting prostitution”, “disseminating propaganda" against the Islamic Republic, and other charges, Iran International reports.

Tataloo is one of the most famous musicians in Iran. Since 2011, he’s released 21 studio albums, became the first Iranian artist to collaborate with Universal Music Group, and made the anthem for Iran’s national football team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

[Via Iran International & Iran Front Page]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter