Europe Says Normal Economic Activity with Iran Unacceptable After Rouhollah Zam’s Execution
European Union member states withdrew from participation in an economic meeting with Iran in protest of Rouhollah Zam’s execution
France’s angry reaction to Rouhollah Zam’s execution: This act is “barbaric and unacceptable.”
Monday, December 15, 2020 – Several major European countries that were scheduled to participate in a commercial gathering between Europe and Iran today withdrew from the event in protest of the execution of Rouhollah Zam, a journalist opposed to the Islamic Republic.
Ambassadors from France, Germany, Austria, and Italy all cancelled their participation in this online gathering. Today was supposed to see Josep Borrell, foreign policy chief of the European Union, participate alongside Mohammad Javad Zarif in this Iran-Europe online economic meeting.
Rouhollah Zam, 42, was the operator of a critical news channel against the Islamic Republic. He was previously charged in June of this year with “corruption on earth” and sentenced to death. Three days after the confirmation of his death sentence by Iran’s Supreme Court, he was executed.
Hadi Ghami, director of the Iran Human Rights Campaign, said: “Europe’s abstention from participating in a commercial meeting with Iran carries a clear message within it: that the world does not close its eyes to the widespread and profound violation of human rights in the Islamic Republic.”
France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union issued a statement on December 14 saying: “The European Union strongly condemns the implementation of the death sentence.” The statement emphasized that “officials of the Islamic Republic must stop using forced confessions and television confessions to prove the guilt of detained individuals.”
On December 15, France’s Foreign Ministry tweeted that due to the “barbaric” and “unacceptable” execution of Rouhollah Zam, using the hashtags #Rouhollah_Zam and #UnnormalTrade, it announced it would not participate in this joint economic meeting with Iran.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry also tweeted that it would not participate in this event.
According to the official website of this economic meeting between Iran and Europe, the purpose of the meeting was “to facilitate the expansion of trade relations and investment, particularly given the outcome of the United States elections.”
Over the past year, the Islamic Republic has used capital punishment extensively to suppress peaceful opposition in Iran. The use of execution in political cases has increased and been applied against protesters and opponents.
Executed journalist was operator of a system-critical news channel
Rouhollah Zam was arrested and sentenced to death in connection with the management of a Telegram news channel called “AmadNews,” which had many followers in Iran.
Zam, who lived in Paris and in exile abroad, suddenly and unjustifiably traveled to Baghdad on October 13, 2019. In Baghdad, through an operation whose details are unclear, he was kidnapped by forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and returned to Iran.
His first court session was held on February 11, 2019, at Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati. Salavati has a long history of issuing severe sentences against civil activists, journalists, and human rights lawyers. Rouhollah Zam’s trial was conducted in six sessions without normal court procedures. The final session was held in June 2020.
Based on the indictment, Rouhollah Zam from 2016 until his arrest had committed “corruption on earth” and a wide range of national security crimes against the Islamic Republic.
Charging dissidents, activists, human rights lawyers, and other government critics with accusations such as actions against national security and convicting individuals without fair trial is a common tactic of judicial authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The United Nations condemned Zam’s execution, calling it “cruel.”
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran and the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, in a statement condemning Rouhollah Zam’s execution, called the act “unreasonable” and a “serious violation of Iran’s obligations.”
UN experts stated in this statement: “It is clear that Rouhollah Zam was executed because of expressing opinions and providing information on the AmadNews channel that was contrary to government views.”
The statement continued: “There are serious concerns that his trial process violated fair trial. Including the broadcast of Rouhollah Zam’s forced confessions while he was in detention. His execution is a deprivation of the right to life. We strongly condemn the Iranian government’s actions.”
The statement said: “Iran must end its systematic use of the judicial process to issue arbitrary detention and execution orders against human rights defenders, journalists, and others who express their opposition to the government.”
Kamil Ahmadi, dual citizen, sentenced to eight years imprisonment
Beyond the expansion of execution sentences in the cases of political prisoners, other cases of serious human rights violations in Iran have also intensified.
Kamil Ahmadi, a British-Iranian anthropologist, social researcher, and writer, was sentenced to eight years in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of “cooperation with a hostile country.” Kamil Ahmadi conducted research on subjects such as female genital mutilation, child marriage, and so-called white marriages (informal marriages) in Iran.
Moreover, harsh prison sentences are being issued against opponents and human rights defenders, and new convictions under stereotypical accusations are being issued “hastily.” Sentences whose issuance causes further closure of civil society and severe suppression of street protests.
Source: Iran Human Rights Campaign
