Updated: December 13, 2020 11:02:51 pm
Ruhollah Zam, a dissident journalist who was captured in what Tehran calls an intelligence operation, speaks during his trial in Tehran, Iran, on June 2, 2020. Photo taken on June 2, 2020. (Mizan News Agency / West Asia News Agency)
Iranian dissident and journalist Ruhollah Zam was executed early Saturday morning for his role in sparking anti-government protests across the country in 2017, Iran’s state television reported. Zam’s execution comes four days after the Iranian Supreme Court upheld his death sentence, despite facing a widespread conviction.
Earlier this year, a court sentenced Zam to death after he was found guilty of “corruption on the ground,” a charge that is often invoked in cases involving espionage or an attempt to overthrow the Iranian government.
Who is Ruhollah Zam?
Ruhollah Zam was an Iranian activist and journalist who was best known for running an online opposition news website, called AmadNews, as well as a thriving channel on the Telegram messaging app, where he had earned more than a million followers.
He is the son of a reformist Shiite cleric named Mohammad Ali Zam, who used to hold a government policy post in the 1980s, according to the AP. In a letter published by local media in July 2017, his father said he did not support his son’s journalism and the messages he sent through Telegram.
What was Zam’s role in the 2017 anti-government protests?
The Zam website and Telegram feed played a central role in the anti-government protests that erupted in Iran in 2017 in response to a failing economy, skyrocketing inflation, and a general lack of opportunity for thousands of the country’s citizens. Around 5,000 people were arrested and up to 25 were killed in the demonstrations that year.
The 2017 protests grew to become the biggest political challenge facing Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and even Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei since the pro-democracy Green Movement protests that swept across the country in 2009. 📣 Follow Express explained on Telegram
Information about the times and locations of the protests, as well as incendiary content about Iran’s leadership, was constantly shared on Zam’s Telegram news service. At one point, Telegram even shut down its channel after the Iranian government complained that the journalist was teaching his followers how to make gasoline bombs, an accusation Zam denied.
However, a short time later, the channel was launched again under a new name. But Zam already had a target on his back for challenging Iran’s Shiite theocracy.
In October 2019, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it had arrested Zam. But the details of his arrest are unclear, as he had been granted political asylum in France and has lived there since he was imprisoned in Iran following a disputed presidential election in 2009.
Why was Ruhollah Zam executed?
Months after being arrested under mysterious circumstances, Zam was convicted of “corruption on Earth” and sentenced to death in July of this year. Earlier this week, the country’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentence.
Zam had been accused of destroying property, interfering with Iran’s economic system, conspiring with the United States and spying on behalf of French intelligence, Al Jazeera reported. Authorities alleged that the journalist was in close contact with agents of the United States National Security Agency (NSA) and various other foreign intelligence services.
“This individual committed criminal and corrupt acts against the security and livelihoods of the Iranian people through the execution of the antagonist channel AmadNews Telegram and the communication of espionage with elements linked to foreign services that go against the security of the people Iranian “, an article in Mizan, the official website news of the Iranian judiciary, read.
The crime of “spreading corruption on Earth” or “Mofsed fel-Arz” is a vague accusation that the Islamic state often brings against those who oppose it. According to the Iranian penal code, the punishment for crimes that involve violating national security or spreading lies is a maximum of 10 years in prison. But according to article 286 of the country’s penal code, a person who spreads lies or violates national security on a “large scale” can face execution.
However, no criteria are established to define what would qualify as a crime committed on a “large scale”.
What has been the response to Zam’s execution?
Various activists and advocacy groups around the world have condemned Zam’s execution. According to Reporters Without Borders, Iran has been “one of the most repressive countries in the world for journalists for the past 40 years.” At least 860 journalists have been arrested or executed in the country since 1979.
“RSF is outraged by this new crime of Iranian justice,” the organization tweeted, blaming the country’s supreme leader Khamenei for Zam’s execution.
According to a Reuters report, France and various human rights groups condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the death penalty.
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