Iran Executes Journalist Ruhollah Zam Over His Online Work

An Iranian journalist Rouhollah Zam was hanged in Iran on Saturday morning, state television IRIB reports.

According to CNN, the nonconformist, Zam, was found guilty of “corruption on earth,” a charge that does not specify an actual crime but is oftentimes used by the Iranian government to describe alleged attempts to overthrow it.

Rouhollah Zam ran the Amad news site, which was an opposing online news site that was accused by Tehran of inciting violence during deadly protests that took place in 2017 and 2018.

On Saturday, Reporters Without Borders said it was “outraged at this new crime of Iranian justice.”

The group had been actively campaigning to have Zam’s death sentence overturned, alleging he was “illegally kidnapped and arrested” and “tried in a grossly unfair manner.”

Zam lived in exile in France when he was “arrested” by Iranian authorities in October 2019. The circumstances of that arrest and how and where he was detained still remain unclear.

Shortly after his arrest, Iranian officials released a video of Zam in a car, wearing blackout goggles. In another shot, he was shown sitting in front of a camera, making an “apology” for his actions.

According to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, Iran accused Zam of working with the US, French and Israeli intelligence, countries they claimed provided him with “overt and covert” protection.

The Iranian government pronounced him guilty and sentenced him to death in June of this year.