Iran sentences the activist Ruhollah Zam to death: Murky dealings!
Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The government of Iran fears any challenge to its power concentration, thus alternative ideas are deemed anti-revolutionary. Yet in Iran nothing is revolutionary. On the contrary, the leading Shia clergy pull the strings. Therefore, the privileged elites sprout the same slogans while ordinary people suffer.
Ruhollah Zam comes from a privileged background because his father, Mohammad-Ali Zam, served the government of Iran. Unlike his father, who was deemed a reformer, Zam turned against the despotism of the Iranian government after protests broke out in 2009.
Hence, while the government of Iran is openly hostile to dissent from people outside the ruling elites, the fear of a privileged elite turning against the regime is deemed more dangerous. Thus, once Zam agitated against the government, he became a marked person.
It remains unclear why Zam traveled to Iraq from exile in France, knowing the chains of Iran were waiting for him. After all, he knows about the bloodthirsty nature of the Iranian regime and Iran’s influence in Iraq. Equally, why was he freely allowed to leave France given the dangers he faced?
The Guardian reports, “Zam had run a website called AmadNews that posted embarrassing videos and information about Iranian officials. He had been living and working in exile in Paris before being convinced into returning to Iran, where he was arrested in October 2019.”
The announcement of the death sentence on Zam isn’t a shock given the bloodthirsty nature of Iran. Gholamhossein Esmaeili, a spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, said he was charged for “corruption on the earth.” However, Zam can appeal to the courts for a lesser sentence – even if little faith in impartiality.
Bloodthirsty Iran – protests in 2019
After protests erupted in Iran in the middle of November last year, it is known that at least 304 people perished. The figure is likely to be much higher. Even so, this is shocking in itself because it also includes the deaths of 23 children.
Amnesty International reports, “Iranian security forces killed the victims in 37 cities in eight provinces across the country, reflecting the widespread nature of the crackdown. The poverty-stricken suburbs around Tehran saw the most killings, with at least 163 deaths recorded. The minority-populated provinces of Khuzestan and Kermanshah, with 57 and 30 deaths respectively, were also badly affected.”
Irrespective if Iran executes Zam or he wins his appeal the real message is abundantly clear. The Iranian regime is telling Iranians in exile that the bloodthirsty clutches are far and wide.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/30/iran-sentences-journalist-ruhollah-zam-to-death
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