(Image source from: Livemint.com)

An Iranian court sentenced the famous singer Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, known as Tataloo, to death. The pro-reform newspaper Etemad reported online that "the Supreme Court accepted the prosecutor's objection" to the previous five-year prison sentence imposed for crimes including blasphemy. It read: "The case has been reopened and this time the accused has been sentenced to death for insulting the Prophet," referring to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The announcement added that the verdict is not final and can still be appealed. The 37-year-old underground musician had been living in Istanbul since 2018, when Turkish police extradited him to Iran in December 2023. He has been in prison in Iran since then. Tataloo was also sentenced to 10 years in prison for promoting "prostitution" and other charges of spreading "propaganda" against the Islamic Republic and publishing "obscene content".

Known for his mix of rap, pop and randy, the heavily tattooed singer was previously courted by conservative politicians to attract the attention of young, liberal-minded Iranians. In 2017, Tataloo held an infamous televised meeting with ultraconservative Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash. In 2015, the band Tataloo released a song in support of Iran's nuclear program, which later disbanded in 2018 during the first US presidency of Donald Trump.