Iran | Singer Amirhossein Tataloo at Grave Risk of Execution for Blasphemy

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); May 17, 2025: Asghar Jahangir, Iran’s Judiciary spokesman announced today that the blasphemy death conviction of Amirhossein Maghsoudloo, known as Tataloo, has been upheld by the Supreme Court and sent for enforcement. The singer’s defence lawyer, Majid Naghshi, previously reported filing a judicial review request.

Reiterating its opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances, Iran Human Rights considers the use of this inhumane punishment for charges such as blasphemy to be a flagrant violation of international human rights law and calls on civil society and the international community not remain silent about Amirhossein Maghsoudlou’s death penalty.

IHRNGO Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam stated: “The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the few countries that issues and carries out death sentences for expression of speech and opinions. Tataloo is at serious risk of execution. The international community, artists and the public must act to stop his execution.”

The Islamic Republic has a history of issuing and carrying out death sentences for religious offences. In 2023, Yousef Mehrad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare were hanged for blasphemy charges.

Amirhossein Maghsoudlou, known by his stage name Tataloo, was born on 21 September 20 1987, and was an underground singer who began his career in the early 2000s. As unlike in the free world, the release of music in Iran requires a license from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, “underground music” means “unauthorised” music in this context.

In the Spring of 2008, authorities pursued Tataloo in an attempt to crackdown on what they called “illegal studios,” and he lived in hiding on Kish Island for several months. Tataloo was arrested and released many times in Iran since the 2010s. These arrests ranged from the morality police to the Ministry of Intelligence.

Tataloo briefly retired from music in 2017 under pressure from security agencies, and in 2018, following the authorities’ opposition to holding concerts and artistic activities, he immigrated to Turkey. He did not last long in Turkey and was forced to return to Iran.

Tataloo gained many opponents in Iranian society with his contradictory political and social stances, from attacking government institutions to defending them, as well as through his comments on social media about sexual relations with underage girls, which led to accusations of sexual abuse of underage girls.

Tataloo was arrested after returning to Iran. The latest developments in his case were announced 17 May at a press conference by the judiciary spokesman. Asghar Jahangir said: “In this case, the individual in question was facing two charges. The first charge is encouraging corruption and prostitution, for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court, and this sentence is currently being enforced, and this person is in prison for this sentence.”

He added: “For the other charge, which was insulting sanctities, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison by Branch 9 of the First Criminal Court of Tehran. On appeal, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling and sent the case to a court of equal standing, Branch 6 of the First Criminal Court, for consideration. This branch issued the death sentence for the individual in question, which was appealed, and in recent days, the Supreme Court has upheld the court’s verdict and sent it to the court for enforcement.”

According to Jahangir, Tataloo's lawyers have filed two requests under Article 114 of the Islamic Penal Code (based on the defendant's repentance) and Article 477 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (judicial review), which are currently under review.

Tataloo is currently held in the Greater Tehran Penitentiary.

In recent days, several sports figures have opposed Tataloo's death sentence. Welcoming Iranian civil society’s statements of opposition to his execution, IHRNGO calls on everyone to participate in the ten-day campaign to stop executions in Iran.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, May 17, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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