Iran Executes Journalist Accused of Anti-Government Activity

Iran executed journalist Ruhollah Zam, who was convicted of attempting to overthrow the government for his work in encouraging anti-government protests in 2017. He was hanged on Saturday, according to Iran state television. He also was accused of interfering in the country’s economic system, working with the United States government, spying for French intelligence, and “spying for the intelligence service of a country in the region,” Al Jazeera reported. Zam had spent years living in exile in France, where he operated a website and a Telegram channel which spread information about anti-government protests in Iran and provided non-flattering information about Iranian officials. He was captured in 2019 in Iraq by the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and returned to the country to stand trial. His execution came four days after the Iranian Supreme Court upheld his death sentence. Human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as the Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the execution.