Reporters Without Borders condemns Iran’s execution of journalist Ruhollah Zam

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) voiced “outrage” at Iran’s execution of prominent journalist Ruhollah Zam on Saturday.

“RSF is outraged at this new crime of Iranian justice,” the media watchdog tweeted, adding that it saw Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the “mastermind of this execution.”

The organization said in the same tweet that it had been warning UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet and Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur who deals with human rights in Iran, of the risk of Zam being executed since October 23.

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RSF joined others commentators in expressing outrage of the killing of Zam, who Iran said fomented violence during the 2017 anti-government protests.

“Another despicable execution in #Iran, punishing Rohollah Zam for exercising his right to freely express himself. Abolish the death penalty, in Iran and around the world,” wrote International Commission of Jurists Secretary-General Sam Zarifi on Twitter.

“I’m deeply shocked & saddened that Islamic Republic executed Iranian dissident journalist #RuhollahZam, who was a source of anti regime news, especially during #IranProtests. Zam was lured to Iraq from Paris & kidnapped by the IRGC. This could happen to all of us. IRI=ISIS,” tweeted Iranian activist Masih Alinejad.

Zam’s website and Telegram feed had spread the timings of the protests and embarrassing information about officials that directly challenged the authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Those demonstrations, which began at the end of 2017, represented the biggest challenge to Tehran since the 2009 Green Movement protests and set the stage for similar mass unrest in November of last year.

With Reuters.

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