Iranian Pop Star Tataloo sentenced to death for blasphemy, verdict not final
Iranian pop star Tataloo sentenced to death for blasphemy; appeals still possible as case draws global attention.
An Iranian court has reportedly sentenced the tattooed pop star Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, better known as Tataloo, to death on charges of blasphemy. The 37-year-old singer has been held in custody in Iran since December 2023 following his extradition from Turkey.

Numerous Iranian media outlets, including the newspapers Etemad and Jame Jam, reported on Sunday that Tataloo had been sentenced to death by Iran’s Supreme Court after being found guilty of insulting the Prophet Muhammad. According to Etemad, Tataloo had been serving a five-year prison sentence for various offences, including blasphemy. However, his case was reopened at the prosecutor’s request, leading to a retrial and the imposition of the death penalty.
The reports emphasised that the verdict was not final, with Tataloo retaining the right to appeal. On Sunday, Iranian judicial officials also stated that a conclusive ruling on the case had not yet been made.
Tataloo, known for his distinctive fusion of rap, pop, and R&B, had previously been sentenced to 10 years in prison for promoting “prostitution” and faced accusations of disseminating anti-regime propaganda and publishing “obscene content.”
The musician has not always been in opposition to the Iranian regime. In 2015, he released a song endorsing Iran’s nuclear programme, which later unravelled following the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the agreement. In 2017, Tataloo appeared in a televised meeting with the ultra-conservative Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, who subsequently died in a helicopter crash. Before his extradition, Tataloo had been residing in Istanbul since 2018.
This case unfolds amidst a climate of heightened persecution in Iran, marked by a surge in judicial executions. The United Nations reported a total of 901 executions in 2024 – the highest figure recorded in nine years. The uncertainty surrounding Tataloo’s fate coincided with a shooting at Iran’s Supreme Court in Tehran on Saturday, in which two judges specialising in national security cases were killed.
