Iranian pop star Amir Tataloo faces a possible death sentence after being convicted of blasphemy. The 37-year-old singer, whose real name is Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, was previously sentenced to five years in jail. However, a prosecutor objected to the sentence and the case was reopened.
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“The supreme court accepted the prosecutor’s objection,” reformist newspaper Etemad reported on Sunday. “The case was reopened, and this time the defendant was sentenced to death for insulting the prophet [Mohammed].”
Etemad noted that Tataloo could still appeal the new verdict. On Sunday, Iranian authorities denied reports that he had been officially sentenced to death.
“He has recently become eligible for leniency under legal provisions. Leniency provisions, or legal reprieves, are measures outlined in criminal law to assist convicts in line with the restorative justice approach,” the Iranian judiciary said in a statement according to Iran International.
He has also been sentenced to 10 years in prison for promoting “prostitution,” disseminating “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic and publishing “obscene content.”
The heavily-tattooed musician had been living in Istanbul since 2018. Turkish police handed him over to the Iranian government in December 2023.
Tataloo combines rap, pop and R&B in his music. He began his career in 2005 and has released 19 studio albums and over 50 music videos, some of which have view counts in the millions.
The conservative Iranian government has courted the singer in the past as a way to reach out to young Iranians. In 2015, he published a song, “Energy Hastei,” in support of Iran’s nuclear program. The release coincided with the “5+1” nuclear negotiations with Iran. He filmed part of the music video on an Iranian naval ship.
“This is our absolute right / to have an armed Persian Gulf,” Tataloo repeatedly sings in the song’s chorus.