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Death penalty upheld for Iran journalist defector who turned from establishment

Ruhollah Zam, the son of a regime-connected cleric, was charged in June with "corruption on earth" for inciting violence in Iran's 2017 protests.
Ruhollah Zam, a former opposition figure who had lived in exile in France and had been implicated in anti-government protests, speaks during his trial at Iran's Revolutionary Court in Tehran on June 2, 2020. - Iran said it has sentenced to death Ruhollah Zam. The court has considered 13 counts of charges together as instances of 'corruption on earth' and therefore passed the death sentence, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said. (Photo by ALI SHIRBAND / MIZAN NEWS / AFP) (Photo by ALI SHIRBAND/MIZA

An Iranian court upheld the death sentence against dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam who was arrested last year, the country’s Supreme Court told reporters on Tuesday.

Ruhollah Zam was found guilty in June of “corruption on earth,” a charge often used in cases of espionage or attempts to overthrow the government, and inciting violence that supported anti-government demonstrations. Through Zam and others, Iran accused the West of encouraging unrest over economic hardship that sparked mass demonstrations in late 2017. Over 20 people were killed and thousands were arrested. 

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