We Condemn the execution of Ruhollah Zam by the Islamic Republic of Iran
Despite international pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran to rescind Ruhollah Zam’s death sentence, he was executed on the early hours of 12 December 2020, two days after the world celebrated international Human Rights day.
He was kidnapped by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s agents while on a trip to Iraq, and was taken to Iran and illegally detained to face bogus charges. These actions are all too common by countries governed by dictators who want to silence their critics.
Union for Secular Republic and Human Rights in Iran vehemently condemns this heinous act and expects the international community to hold the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for yet another tragic unlawful killing. We also ask that the government of Iraq is held accountable for its part in Ruhollah Zam’s death and for failing to have adequate safeguards in place.
Zam’s father was a confidant to Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic’s government of Iran. Zam could have therefore easily gained stature by that position, yet he decided a different path by launching the “Amad-News” website criticizing the Islamic Republic of Iran. A news source widely accessed by Iranians inside and outside the country.
This is not the first time the agents of IRI kidnapped or killed Iranian citizens outside of its borders. On numerous occasions, we have witnessed similar actions in Iraq, Turkey, and many other neighboring countries as well as across the world.
Iran is ranked one of the top three countries in the world for the number of its executions; this must stop immediately. We urge the United Nations, as an International body, which Islamic Republic of Iran is a member of, to investigate Ruhollah Zam’s murder and take immediate action to put an end to extra-judicial murders and execution of Iranian citizens.
We also urge Iranian opposition activists to avoid visiting Iran and the neighboring countries to avoid danger to their lives.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin Luther King
December 14, 2020
