Iran’s Rouhani dismisses outcry over journalist’s execution

Iran hanged journalist and blogger Ruhollah Zam on Saturday after a court found him guilty of "corruption on earth."
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivers a speech during the inaugural session of the new parliament following February elections, in Tehran on May 27, 2020. - The 11th legislature since the Islamic revolution of 1979 opened as the country's economy, which has been hard hit by the novel coronavirus, gradually returns to normal. Rouhani, who is in the final year of his second and final term, called on MPs, collectively and individually, to place the "national interest above special interests", "party intere
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivers a speech in Tehran during the inaugural session of the new parliament following February elections, on May 27, 2020. - AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday defended the execution of a Paris-based Iranian journalist whose death triggered widespread condemnation in France and around the world. 

Iran hanged Ruhollah Zam on Saturday after a court found him guilty of “corruption on earth,” a vague but serious charge that often is used to punish alleged espionage or an attempted government overthrow.

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