Pop Star Tataloo Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy Against Prophet Muhammad: "It's Disturbing"
- A court in Iran has sentenced a Pop star Tataloo to death for blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad
- He was previously in Istanbul, Turkey, before his case was transferred to Iran, where he was initially sentenced to some years in jail before his death sentence
- Several accusations were made against the singer, who has many tattoos on his body, and his case has gotten the attention of many
- In a chat with a human rights activist Abiodun (surname withheld), he said that blasphemy laws should be abolished
Iranian pop star Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, aka Tataloo, has been sentenced to death by an Iranian court for blasphemy.
Source: Instagram
He was initially sentenced to jail for five years, but the prosecutor objected and the singer's punishment was increased. According to the reformist newspaper, Etemad, on Sunday, January 19, 2025, the Iranian Supreme Court accepted the prosecutor's objection, and Tataloo was sentenced to death with an appeal.
37-year-old Tataloo, who was accused of insulting Muslim's Prophet Muhammad, had been living in Istanbul since 2018. However, the Turkish police handed him over to Iran in December 2023.
Court sentences Tataloo to death for blasphemy
Previously, Tataloo was sentenced to 10 years in jail for promoting sexual jobs, publishing obscene content, and disseminating propaganda against the Islamic Republic. The singer, whose songs are a blend of pop, rap, and R&B, was formerly enticed by conservative politicians to reach out to young and liberal-minded Iranians.
In 2017, the singer held a weird televised meeting with the ultra-conservative Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, who later died in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2024.
The pop artiste recorded a song in support of Iran’s nuclear programme in 2015, which Iran had agreed to disassemble in exchange for sanctions relief. In 2018, the deal was later revealed during the first US presidency of Donald Trump.
Iran and its capital punishments
Major crimes such as assault, murder, molestation, and drug trafficking attract capital punishment in Iran. According to Amnesty International, the Islamic Republic of Iran executes more people yearly than other nations except China, which has no concrete figures.
The nation, under its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been accused of using capital punishment as a means to instil fear in the people, especially in the wake of its nationwide protests in 2022 and 2023.
According to the United Nations report in January 2015, Iran executed more than 900 people in 2024. This has caused activists to be alarmed by the increase in the death by hangings in Iran. Speaking about the issue, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Volker Turk said:
“It is deeply disturbing that yet again we see an increase in the number of people subjected to the death penalty in Iran year-on-year.”
Activist condemns blasphemy laws
In a chat with an activist Abiodun (surname withheld), he shared what should be done to Tataloo as he condemned blasphemy laws. He said:
"Blasphemy laws should be abolished. They don’t fit into modern societies. Blasphemy laws are against human rights. The pop star should be freed immediately and unconditionally."
Abiodun also spoke about blasphemy laws and who wrote them. In his words:
"Blasphemy laws were written by Muslim extremists who didn’t want the purported writings of the founder of Islam - Muhammed bin Abdullahi to be questioned or reviewed. It should not be practised in modern times."
Nigerian man sentenced to death for stealing fowl
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Osun state high court clarified the report that one young man, Olowookere Segun, was sentenced to death for stealing a fowl.
According to the court, the report is mischievous and misleading, stating that Segun was actually convicted of armed robbery.
The court noted that the robbery was just one of the many crimes that Segun was convicted for and that he confessed to the crime.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng
