Iran's Judiciary Spokesman Confirms Death Sentence for 'Tataloo'

The spokesman for the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran confirmed the issuance of a death sentence for Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, known as 'Tataloo', but stated that 'this sentence is under review in the Supreme Court.' Asghar Jahangir announced on Wednesday, April 27, that Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, a singer, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for 'encouraging corruption and prostitution' and is currently serving his sentence. He added that this singer was also sentenced to five years in prison for 'insulting the sacred,' which was overturned by the Supreme Court and referred to a parallel branch. According to the judiciary spokesman, 'Branch Six' found the charge of 'insulting the sacred' to be 'established' and issued a death sentence based on Article 262 of the Islamic Penal Code ratified in 2013 and Article 514 of the 'Islamic Penal Code.' Mr. Jahangir stated, 'Of course, this sentence has been appealed and is currently under review in the Supreme Court.' Tataloo's Instagram account was closed. According to Article 262 of the Islamic Penal Code, anyone who 'insults or slanders the Prophet of Islam' is considered 'sabb al-nabi' and is sentenced to death. Meanwhile, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights does not classify these matters as serious crimes. Article 514 also states that anyone who insults Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, and Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, will be sentenced to imprisonment from six months to two years. The news of the death sentence for Tataloo was first published in December of last year, but some government-affiliated media, especially Fars News Agency, denied it. Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo had lived in Turkey for years, but Iranian media reported on December 3, 2023, that Turkish police arrested this singer due to a 'complaint from the consulate' of Iran in Istanbul for 'insulting members and staff of the consulate.' After his arrest, the Turkish police handed him over to judicial authorities in Iran through the land border. In a report published by Fars News Agency after his arrest, charges against Tataloo included 'operating a gambling house, a betting site, encouraging, enticing, or threatening individuals to access obscene content or facilitating it, and inciting and encouraging individuals, especially the youth, to commit immoral crimes and sexual deviations and encouraging people to corruption and prostitution.'