Ruhollah Zam

Iranian journalist and activist (1978–2020)

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Ruhollah Zam

Born| (1978-07-27)27 July 1978

Ray, Iran

Died| 12 December 2020(2020-12-12) (aged 42)

Tehran, Iran

Other names| Nima[1]
Occupation| Journalist
Known for| Operating Telegram channel Amadnews
Criminal charge(s)| Espionage
Mofsed-e-filarz
Criminal penalty| Capital punishment by hanging
Criminal status| Executed
Spouse| Mahsa Razani
Children| 2
Parent| Mohammad Ali Zam (father)

Ruhollah Zam (Persian: روح‌الله زم, also Romanized as "Rouhollah Zam"; 27 July 1978 - 12 December 2020) was an Iranian activist and journalist.[2][3] Best known for operating a Telegram channel named 'Amadnews', which he founded in 2015, Zam played a high-profile role in the 2017–2018 Iranian protests, to which he devoted special coverage at the time. In June 2020, an Iran court found him guilty of "corruption on earth" for running a popular anti-government forum, which officials said had incited the 2017–2018 Iranian protests. He was sentenced to death by an Iranian court[4] and was executed on 12 December 2020.

## Biography

[edit]

Ruhollah Zam was born into a clerical family in Tehran in 1978.[5] His father, Mohammad-Ali Zam, is a reformist who served in senior government positions in the 1980s and 1990s.[6] Mohammad-Ali Zam chose the name "Rouhollah" for his son as he was a supporter of Rouhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic in Iran, however, Rouhollah later asked his friends to call him Nima. Ruhollah Zam turned against the establishment after the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests, and was imprisoned in Evin Prison for some time. Zam eventually fled Iran to reside in France in 2011.[7]

He was best known for operating a Telegram channel named 'Amadnews' (or 'Sedaiemardom', lit. 'Voice of the People'), which he founded in 2015. Zam played a high-profile role in the 2017–18 Iranian protests, to which he devoted special coverage at the time.[6] The Telegram channel's mission is "spreading awareness and seeking justice", and it has about 1.4 million followers.[8] It provided the timing and organizational details of the protests as well as information about officials that challenged the Iranian government. After the Iranian government complained that the channel gave information about how to make gasoline bombs, Telegram shut down the channel in 2018, but it reappeared with a different name.[9][10] Voice of America's Persian service frequently invited Zam on its broadcasts.[5][11]

Zam was married to Mahsa Razani and had two daughters.[12]

## Arrest

[edit]

On 14 October 2019, Iran's Revolutionary Guard announced they had lured Zam back to Iran and arrested him, although according to other sources, he had been arrested in Iraq by intelligence officials, and handed over to Iran based on the extradition agreement between the two countries signed in 2011.[13][14] The court hearing was held at the 15th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati.[15] Zam was sentenced to death according to the judiciary spokesman, Gholamhossein Esmaili, on 30 June 2020.[16]

### Accusations of French involvement

[edit]

Shortly after Zam's arrest, the French newspaper Le Figaro accused the French government of involvement. Zam, who was living under police protection, discussed all his travel plans with French Police. Le Figaro implied that French police did not discourage Zam from traveling, as part of a prisoner swap agreement with Iran.[17]

In November 2021 the Iranian Security official Akbar Khoshkooshak claimed France helped organize the arrest of Zam, in return for the release of a French undercover agent, captured by Shiite militia in Syria.[18]

## Execution

[edit]

Zam was executed by hanging on 12 December 2020.[19] Zam was executed in Rejaei Shahr prison and was on hunger strike at the time of execution.[20] A number of state officials including the state prosecutor Amin Vaziri were present to watch his execution.[21]

### Reaction

[edit]

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the execution and stated,

> RSF is outraged at this new crime of Iranian justice and sees (Supreme Leader Ayatollah) @ali_khamenei as the mastermind of this execution.[22]

The foreign ministry of France, where Zam was living in exile, stated,

> France condemns in the strongest possible terms this serious breach of free expression and press freedom in Iran. This is a barbaric and unacceptable act that goes against the country's international commitments.[22]

Amnesty International stated it was,

> Shocked and horrified ... We call on the international community, including member states of the UN Human Rights Council and the EU, to take immediate action to pressure the Iranian authorities to halt their escalating use of the death penalty as a weapon of political repression.[22]

As a response to the execution, ambassadors from France, Germany, Austria, and Italy cancelled their participation in the Europe-Iran Business Forum, an online business forum.[23]

International Bar Association Human Rights Institute described it as a judicial murder.[24]

In 2023, The documentary about Ruhollah Zam, Son of Mullah, was releasad. [25] It follows the director, Nahid Persson Sarvestani, as she interviews and documents Zam during a year.

## See also

[edit]

* Navid Afkari, a wrestler executed in 2020 for his alleged actions during the 2017–2018 Iranian protests
* Capital punishment in Iran
* List of foreign nationals detained in Iran

## References

[edit]

1. ^ ""نیما زم" که بود؟". مشرق نیوز. 12 December 2020.
2. ^ "Ruhollah Zam: Iran 'arrests exiled journalist' for fanning unrest". BBC News. 14 October 2019.
3. ^ Najibullah, Farangis (5 January 2018). "Controversial Exile Using Social Media To Try To Bring Down Iranian Government". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
4. ^ "Ruhollah Zam: Iran sentences journalist to death for fanning unrest". BBC News.
5. ^ a b Alfoneh, Ali. "Tehran's campaign against the opposition raises questions". The Arab Weekly. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
6. ^ a b Gambrell, Jon. "Protests in Iran fanned by exiled journalist, messaging app". AP News. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
7. ^ Abri, Ehsan. "With highspeed internet, the regime would be gone in a month". Bild. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
8. ^ "Ruhollah Zam: Iran 'arrests exiled journalist' for fanning unrest". BBC News. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
9. ^ "Iran Upholds Death Sentence Against French-Based Journalist Captured Last Year". Voice of America. Reuters. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
10. ^ Vahdat, Amir (12 December 2020). "Iranian journalist hanged for reporting 2017 anti-government protests". The Age. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
11. ^ "The App Powering the Uprising in Iran, Where Some Channels Pushed for Violence". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
12. ^ ""The Regime Kidnapped my Husband from Baghdad"". IranWire | خانه. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
13. ^ "Iraqi govt. source challenges IRGC's story of arrest of Iranian dissident". 18 October 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
14. ^ "Iran executes opposition figure Ruhollah Zam". 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
15. ^ "First Trial Session of Ruhollah Zam Held in Tehran – Politics news". Tasnim News Agency. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
16. ^ Karimi, Nasser (30 June 2020). "Iran journalist who fueled 2017 protests sentenced to death". CTV News.
17. ^ "Espionnage: comment l'Iran a capturé un opposant vivant en France". Le Figaro. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
18. ^ "روایتی متفاوت از دستگیری روح‌الله زم و ادعای همکاری فرانسه". DW.com. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
19. ^ "Ruhollah Zam: Iran executes journalist accused of fanning unrest". BBC News. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
20. ^ ""روح‌الله زم هنگام اعدام در اعتصاب غذا بود"". العربیه فارسی (in Persian). 13 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
21. ^ "جزئیات اعدام "روح الله زم"". news.gooya.com. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
22. ^ a b c "Iran executes French-based dissident journalist captured last year". Reuters. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
23. ^ "Ruhollah Zam: EU powers boycott Iran forum over execution". BBC News. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
24. ^ International Bar Association Human Rights Institute [@IBAHRI] (15 December 2020). "#IBAHRI condemns murder of Ruhollah Zam: #Iranian #dissident #journalist, editor of AmadNews, arbitrarily arrested in Oct 2020. Sentenced to death for 'spreading corruption on earth'. Sentence confirmed on 8 Dec. Four days later hanged. #DeathPenalty #Iran" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
25. ^ Engström, Emma (31 August 2023). ""Son of the mullah" – en verklig thriller om paranoia". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 18 February 2024.

* v
* t
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List of foreign nationals detained in Iran

United States|

| Citizens|

* Saeed Abedini
* Shane Bauer
* Haleh Esfandiari
* Joshua Fattal
* Gerald F. Seib
* Amir Hekmati
* Moorhead C. Kennedy Jr.
* Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari
* Bruce Laingen
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* John Limbert
* Esha Momeni
* Baquer Namazi
* Siamak Namazi
* Jon Pattis
* Richard Queen
* David Rabhan
* Jason Rezaian
* Barry Rosen
* Roxana Saberi
* Ali Shakeri
* Emad Shargi
* Sarah Shourd
* Morad Tahbaz
* Kian Tajbakhsh
* Victor L. Tomseth
* Matthew Trevithick
* Karan Vafadari
* Xiyue Wang
* Michael White

|

Residents|

* Afarin Neyssari
* Afshin Sheikholeslami Vatani

Canada|

| Citizens|

* Maziar Bahari
* Hossein Derakhshan
* Abdolrasoul Dorri-Esfahani
* Hamid Ghassemi-Shall
* Homa Hoodfar
* Zahra Kazemi
* Ramin Jahanbegloo
* Kavous Seyed-Emami

|

Residents|

* Saeed Malekpour

United Kingdom|

| Citizens|

* Kameel Ahmady
* Anoosheh Ashoori
* Iason Athanasiadis
* Roger Cooper
* Abbas Edalat
* Kamal Foroughi
* Ghoncheh Ghavami
* Roya Saberi Negad Nobakht
* Nahid Taghavi
* Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

|

Residents|

* Aras Amiri

France|

| Citizens|

* Louis Arnaud
* Cécile Kohler
* Fariba Adelkhah
* Nazak Afshar
* Benjamin Brière
* Roland Marchal
* Clotilde Reiss

|

Residents|

* Ruhollah Zam

Sweden|

* Habib Chaab
* Johan Floderus
* Ahmad Reza Jalali

Germany|

* Marcus Hellwig
* Helmut Hofer
* Jens Koch
* Jamshid Sharmahd
* Nahid Taghavi
* Helmut Szimkus

Australia|

* Mark Firkin
* Jolie King
* Kylie Moore-Gilbert

Austria|

* Kamran Ghaderi

Belgium|

* Olivier Vandecasteele

Netherlands|

* Zahra Bahrami

Finland|

* Ana Diamond

Lebanon|

* Nizar Zakka

New Zealand|

* Topher Richwhite
* Bridget Thackwray

Russian|

* Yulia Yuzik

Category:Foreign nationals detained in Iran

* v
* t
* e

Political prisoners in Iran

* Prison

Activists|

* Habib Afkari
* Raheleh Ahmadi
* Maryam Akbari Monfared
* Zahra Bahrami
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* Esmail Bakhshi
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* Atena Daemi
* Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee
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* Parvaneh Forouhar
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* Zeynab Jalalian
* Vida Hajebi Tabrizi
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* Leila Hosseinzadeh
* Soheila Hejab
* Jafar Kazemi
* Amir Khorram
* Amir Khosrow Dalirsani
* Dhabihu'llah Mahrami
* Mohammad Maleki
* Azar Mansouri
* Farideh Mashini
* Mohsen Mirdamadi
* Ahmad Moftizadeh
* Narges Mohammadi
* Abdollah Momeni
* Youcef Nadarkhani
* Shiva Nazar Ahari
* Keyvan Rafiee
* Alireza Rajaei
* Arash Sadeghi
* Mahan Sadrat
* Fatemeh Sepehri
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* Reza Shahabi
* Jamshid Sharmahd
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* Abbas Lisani
* Ali Shariati
* Majid Tavakoli
* Habibollah Peyman
* Sayed Ziaoddin Nabavi

Actors|

* Taraneh Alidoosti
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* Katayoun Riahi

Artists|

* Atena Farghadani
* Amir Emad Mirmirani

Athletes|

* Voria Ghafouri
* Ali Akbar Heidari
* Mohammad Karimi
* Hossein Mahini
* Amir Reza Nasr Azadani
* Navid Afkari

Bloggers|

* Soheil Arabi
* Sattar Beheshti

Doctors|

* Nasser Fahimi
* Gholam-Hossein Sa'edi
* Mohammad Ali Taheri

Filmmakers|

* Keywan Karimi
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* Mohammad Nourizad
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* Mohammad Rasoulof

Journalists|

* Bahman Ahmadi Amouee
* Mahsa Amrabadi
* Ahmad Batebi
* Masoud Bastani
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* Niloofar Hamedi
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* Hengameh Shahidi
* Mashallah Shamsolvaezin
* Heshmat Tabarzadi
* Roya Toloui
* Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
* Ruhollah Zam
* Ahmad Zeidabadi

Lawyers|

* Mohammad Ali Dadkhah
* Saleh Kamrani
* Nasrin Sotoudeh
* Shadi Sadr
* Mohammad Seifzadeh
* Abdolfattah Soltani

Military|

* Amir Farshad Ebrahimi
* Saeed Emami
* Akbar Ganji
* Hamid Pourmand

Musicians|

* Dariush Eghbali
* Shervin Hajipour
* Mehdi Rajabian
* Toomaj Salehi
* Mehdi Yarrahi

Programmer|

* Amir Emad Mirmirani

Poets|

* Baktash Abtin
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* Mona Borzouei
* Piruz Dilanchi
* Mehdi Akhavan-Sales
* Mohammad-Taqi Bahar
* Keramat Daneshian
* Arzhang Davoodi
* Mohammad Farrokhi Yazdi
* Khosrow Golsorkhi
* Morteza Keyvan
* Ahmad Shamlou
* Sedigheh Vasmaghi

Politicians|

* Mohsen Aminzadeh
* Morteza Alviri
* Shahrbanoo Amani
* Abbas Amir-Entezam
* Mohsen Armin
* Mohammad Atrianfar
* Seyyed Ebrahim Amini
* Emadeddin Baghi
* Jila Baniyaghoob
* Mehdi Bazargan
* Nasrollah Entezam
* Iraj Eskandari
* Hossein Fatemi
* Dariush Forouhar
* Sadegh Ghotbzadeh
* Mehdi Hajati
* Bahareh Hedayat
* Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani
* Amir Hossein Heshmat Saran
* Amir-Abbas Hoveyda
* Anvar Khamei
* Mohammad-Reza Khatami
* Khalil Maleki
* Mir-Hossein Mousavi
* Ali-Akbar Mousavi Khoeini
* Farajollah Mizani
* Ahmad Moftizadeh
* Behzad Nabavi
* Abdollah Nouri
* Reza Radmanesh
* Abdollah Ramezanzadeh
* Gholam Hossein Sadighi
* Abolghasem Sarhaddizadeh
* Ali Shakouri-Rad
* Ali Shariati
* Mahdi Tajik
* Mostafa Tajzadeh
* Mansour Osanlou
* Ebrahim Yazdi

Scientists|

* Taqi Arani
* Ramin Jahanbegloo
* Omid Kokabee
* Seyed Hossein Mousavian
* Ehsan Tabari
* Kian Tajbakhsh

Writers|

* Ali Mohammad Afghani
* Bozorg Alavi
* Najaf Daryabandari
* Mahmoud Dowlatabadi
* Mahmoud Etemadzadeh
* Ahmad Mahmoud
* Abbas Milani
* Shahrokh Meskoob
* Fariborz Raisdana
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* Brayim Younisi
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Category:Political prisoners in Iran

Authority control databases

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