An Iranian court has sentenced pop singer Tataloo to death on appeal after he was convicted of allegedly blaspheming, reports NME. Per a report from local newspaper Etemad, “The supreme court accepted the prosecutor’s objection” to a five-year jail term for blasphemy. The newspaper went on to state that “the case was reopened and this time the defendant was sentenced to death for insulting the prophet,” referring to Islam’s prophet Muhammad.

According to The Guardian, the verdict is reportedly not final and can still be appealed against.

Tataloo – also known as Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo – emigrated to Istanbul in 2018 after several arrests by the Iranian authorities and allegedly failing to get a music activity license from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

In December 2023, Turkish police transferred Maghsoudloo to Iran, where he has been in detention since.

Maghsoudloo has also been sentenced to 10 years for allegedly “promoting prostitution” and in other cases was charged with allegedly disseminating “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic and allegedly publishing “obscene content.”

The underground singer, known for his heavily tattooed appearance, released his debut album Zire Hamkaf in 2011. Since then he has released 21 albums, including 2021’s Fereshteh which saw him become the first Iranian musician to collaborate with Universal Music Group.

Maghsoudloo was previously utilized by conservative politicians who sought to reach out to young, liberal Iranians. In 2017, he held a televised meeting with the conservative Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and in 2015 he released a song in support of Iran’s nuclear program.