Who Is Amir Tataloo? Iranian Pop Star Sentenced To Death For Blasphemy
Last Updated:
Iran's Supreme Court sentenced singer Amir Tataloo to death for blasphemy. Tataloo was jailed, moved to Turkey in 2018, arrested in 2023, and extradited.
Iran's Supreme Court has handed down a death sentence to popular Iranian singer Amir Tataloo, born Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, after convicting him of blasphemy, including insulting the Prophet Mohammed.
Tataloo was earlier handed a five-year prison sentence on similar charges; however, the case was later reopened following a prosecutor's objection. After the review, the court overturned the previous ruling and issued the death penalty in January this year.
Iranian singer Amir Tataloo
Amir Tataloo was born on September 21, 1987, in Tehran's Majidieh neighbourhood. Due to his family's financial struggles, he balanced work and studies from a young age. At 14, he worked in a carpentry workshop and later, between 16 and 18, he was employed at a grocery store.
After completing his studies, Tataloo pursued his passion for music, starting his career as an underground musician in Iran. He released his debut album 'Zire Hamkaf" in 2011 and went on to become one of Iran's most popular and controversial artists, known for blending pop, R&B, and rap.
His first single, which he released in 2003, marked the beginning of his career as an underground musician. He recorded the song Manam Yeki az un Yazdahtam (I'm Also One of Those Eleven Players) for the Iranian National Football Team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Tataloo released 'Energy Hastei," a song supporting Iran's nuclear program, during the July 2015 Iran/5+1 nuclear talks in Vienna. The music video was filmed on the Iranian navy ship Damavand, and it topped Google's Persian trending searches. The song sparked controversy, particularly among Iranian Reformists, who drew comparisons to Mohammadreza Shajarian's songs backing the 2009 Iranian protests.
He was arrested by the Iranian police in 2016, reportedly for promoting lyrics and a lifestyle that were seen as violating Islamic rules. In 2018, he moved to Turkey, where he created albums and organised big concerts. In 2020, he was under the spotlight again when he said that children under the age of 16 should be allowed to get married.
Amir Tataloo relocated to Turkey in 2018. There, he continued to produce music, releasing albums and staging large concerts. However, his presence in Turkey wasn't without controversy. In 2020, Tataloo sparked outrage with his comments on social media, suggesting that children under 16 should be allowed to get married, which drew widespread criticism.
Later, in 2023, Turkish authorities arrested him due to an expired passport and handed him over to Iranian authorities, who jailed him on charges including corruption.
His first album, Zire Hamkaf, was released in 2021. Since then, he has put out 21 albums. He is the first Iranian to collaborate with Universal Music Group. He was given a 10-year prison sentence for encouraging prostitution. He was also charged with disseminating propaganda against the Islamic Republic and spreading obscene content.
Later in May, he was given the death penalty after being found guilty of blasphemy in January.
First Published:
June 09, 2025, 12:55 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Supreme Court grants interim protection from arrest to MP Journalist alleging police assault
The Supreme Court on Monday directed two Madhya Pradesh-based journalists, who have accused the Bhind superintendent of police and other officers of custodial assault and harassment, to approach the Madhya Pradesh High Court for relief. The court granted them interim protection from arrest for two weeks to allow time to file their plea. A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan told the petitioners—Shashikant Jatav and Amarkant Singh Chouhan—that it was not inclined to entertain their plea under Article 32 of the Constitution. However, noting the gravity of the allegations, the bench permitted them to seek remedy before the High Court. 'We are not entertaining the plea. However, looking at the allegations, we permit the petitioners to move the concerned high court within two weeks from today. Till the time the petitioners move high court …the petitioners shall not be arrested,' Justice Mishra said. The journalists have alleged that they were targeted by police due to their reporting on alleged corruption related to sand mining. In their plea, they sought protection from coercive action by the MP Police and claimed they feared for their lives. The petition also accused a senior police officer and his subordinates of kidnapping, custodial assault, and using casteist slurs against them. The bench previously questioned why the Bhind superintendent of police had not been made a party to the petition. "It is very easy to say all kinds of things against an IPS officer without making him a party. Whatever comes to your mind, just put it in black and white against the IPS officer," the bench remarked. The court also asked why the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi were named as respondents. The counsel for the journalists said the NHRC had been included because a complaint had been filed there, but agreed to remove it from the petition. On the inclusion of NCT of Delhi, it was submitted that both petitioners are currently residing in the national capital. Meanwhile, on May 28, the Delhi High Court had granted Chouhan interim protection for two months after he claimed that the Bhind SP had threatened him following an alleged assault in his office. The Supreme Court has listed the matter for further hearing on June 9.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Supreme Court to hear plea on threats of violence linked to the screening of Thug Life in Karnataka on June 13
The Supreme Court on Monday (June 9, 2025) agreed to hear on June 13 a plea to ensure the safe and unimpeded screening of Kamal Haasan's Tamil movie 'Thug Life' in Karnataka, and direct the State government to take action against elements who have issued threats and incited violence against theatres and the makers of the film. A Vacation Bench headed by Justice P.K. Mishra scheduled the case for hearing this week on the basis of an oral mentioning made by the advocates for the petitioner, M. Mahesh Reddy, a Bengaluru resident, represented by advocates A. Velan and Navpreet Kaur. Ms. Kaur, seeking urgent listing of the writ petition, said 'fringe elements' were threatening arson against the theatres that screen the film. Mr. Velan said the move to appeal to the apex court had been necessitated by the fact that the Karnataka High Court had 'distressingly appeared to prioritise appeasement'. 'Instead of a clear directive to the State to stop the illegal threats and protect a certified film's exhibition, fundamental to restoring law and order, the discussion reportedly focused on whether Mr. Kamal Haasan should apologise to the very fringe elements intimidating him and threatening public order. This effective endorsement of coercive censorship by suggesting compromise with perpetrators makes the High Court pathway currently ineffective for securing justice, compelling this urgent appeal in the Supreme Court as the ultimate guardian of the Constitution,' the petition submitted. The petition questioned the Karnataka government's 'flagrant failure' to maintain law and order in the State, and protect constitutional freedoms. It said the 'unconstitutional extra-judicial ban' in Karnataka stems not from any lawful process but from a deliberate campaign of terror, including explicit threats of arson against cinema halls, incitement to large-scale communal violence targeting linguistic minorities, and a chilling call for a repeat of past anti-Tamil riots. 'This serious situation occurs within a disturbing societal context where chauvinistic elements have targeted linguistic minorities such as Hindi speakers in Bengaluru with impunity, fostering a climate of fear that now directly threatens constitutional order over this film… Even as Victory Cinema, a movie theatre in Bengaluru, announced its intent to screen 'Thug Life', forces of intimidation struck openly. Mr. T.A. Narayana Gowda of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) publicly threatened to 'set theatres on fire' while social media was used for inciting a violent revival of the 1991 anti-Tamil riots,' the petition highlighted.
Scroll.in
3 hours ago
- Scroll.in
Rush Hour: 4 die after falling off Mumbai local train, Assam to push back more ‘foreigners', & more
We're building a brand-new studio to bring you bold ground reports, sharp interviews, hard-hitting podcasts, explainers and more. Support Scroll's studio fund today. Four persons died after falling off a suburban train near Mumbra in Maharashtra's Thane district. Thirteen others have been injured, of which two passengers are reported to be seriously hurt, according to a surgeon at the district hospital. The incident took place on fast train tracks between Mumbra and Diva. A spokesperson for the Central Railways said that the accident was suspected to have taken place as passengers travelling on footboards in trains in opposite directions 'got entangled'. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the Railways have initiated an inquiry into the cause of the accident. About 37.62 lakh passengers travelled on Mumbai suburban trains operated by the Central Railway in 2023-'24, while 27.24 passengers travelled on trains operated by the Western Railway. Last year, Mumbai's suburban train network recorded 2,468 deaths, or more than six fatalities every day. Read on. The Assam government has pushed back 303 'foreigners' and will continue to do so under the 1950 Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader further claimed that another 35 will be expelled once floodwaters recede. 'The Supreme Court clearly said the illegal expulsion act is valid and if the government wishes, they can expel the foreigners without going to Foreigners Tribunals,' Sarma added. The chief minister's remarks in the Assembly came two days after he claimed that persons declared foreigners were being 'pushed back' to Bangladesh under a legal framework. The Supreme Court, while hearing the challenges to Section 6A of the 1955 Citizenship Act, had said that 'there is no legal requirement for the Assam government to always approach the judiciary in order to identify foreigners', Sarma had said on Saturday. Read on. An additional superintendent of police was killed after an improvised explosive device allegedly planted by suspected Maoists went off in Sukma district. Two police officers were also injured in the explosion. The incident took place on the Konta-Aerobora road near Dronda village when Konta Additional Superintendent of Police Akash Rao Girepunje, Sub Divisional Officer of Police Bhanupratap Chandrakar and Station House Officer Sonal Gwala were patrolling the area by foot. During the patrol, Girepunje accidentally stepped on the explosive device, which triggered the blast. The officers were patrolling the area ahead of a country-wide strike called for on Tuesday by the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said that Maoists were committing 'such cowardly acts' as they were frustrated by the continuous success of security forces against Left-wing extremism. Read on. A collective of 114 scientists, researchers and practitioners has called for suspending all construction and related activities on the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh. They argued that resistance to the project by local communities reflected a grounded understanding of its 'ecological, cultural, and socio-political risks'. The collective said that in the past, displacement often led to long-term socio-economic disruption, and compensation mechanisms rarely accounted for aspects such as land-based identity and customary rights. They noted that the site of the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project fell in Seismic Zone V, which the highest risk category for earthquakes as per the Bureau of Indian Standards. The Siang river flows into Arunachal Pradesh from Tibet, and is the main tributary of the Brahmaputra. The river is the site of the proposed 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, touted to be India's largest dam. .
