Iran's judiciary agrees to review death sentence against singer
Iran’s judiciary has agreed to review a death sentence against controversial underground singer Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, known as Tataloo, following a legal petition and calls for clemency by Iranian celebrities.
While the sentence remains in place, the case has entered a new phase. Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei has approved preliminary steps to examine the ruling.
“According to legal procedure, the case will be examined by relevant experts to assess whether the verdict contradicts Sharia,” Tataloo’s lawyer Majid Naghshi told the Revolutionary Guards-linked Fars News Agency.
“If confirmed, the file will be sent to a parallel court branch for a final ruling.” He added that the process occurs only once and emphasized, “No final decision has been made yet, but this is a step forward in the legal path.”
Tataloo’s sister, Naghmeh Maghsoudloo, also announced the decision, noting that the case is now under Supreme Court review.
The singer remains imprisoned in Tehran’s Fashafuyeh facility, serving a 10-year sentence for “encouraging corruption.” Other charges include disrupting Islamic law, operating a gambling platform and publishing obscene content.
A separate blasphemy case led to a three-year sentence for insulting sanctities and initially, a death sentence for insulting the Prophet—a charge from which he had first been acquitted before a later court reversed the ruling.
The 37-year-old artist had lived in Istanbul since 2018, where he remained active on social media and announced plans to establish a so-called “Sultan’s Palace,” inviting girls between 15 and 20 to join. Instagram removed his account in 2019 over misogynistic content and promotion of child marriage.
On December 4, 2023, Turkish police arrested Tataloo following a complaint from the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, which accused him of harassing consular staff. He was later extradited to Iran and taken into custody at the Bazargan border.
Public figures across Iranian cultural life have rallied in opposition to the sentence. Rapper Toomaj Salehi, footballer Mehdi Taremi, actress Sahar Ghoreishi and bodybuilding champion Hadi Choopan all denounced the ruling in separate statements.
“You insulted all my sisters. But my heart cannot bear your voice being silenced,” Salehi wrote online, referring to Tataloo's controversial remarks against Mahsa Amini, the girl whose death in police custody sparked Iran's 2022 Woman Life Freedom protests.
Tataloo’s uncle, Mohammadali Maghsoudloo, revealed in an interview that the singer married inside prison just one week ago. He added that officials have provided accommodations for Tataloo’s vegetarian diet while in custody.
Once promoted by state-linked figures—he famously released a pro-nuclear anthem in 2015 and appeared with Ebrahim Raisi during the 2017 campaign—Tataloo later became a pariah, accused of corrupting youth and drawing numerous complaints from many families, according to the judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency.
In court, he expressed remorse, saying, “I didn’t get proper training, and I made a mistake.” Court documents also referenced a personal letter in which he asked to “marry, have children and pursue music in the right way.”
Once the death sentence is lifted, the case will move into the hands of Iran’s Supreme Court—an uncommon reversal in a legal system rarely swayed by public figures or online campaigns.