“Ezzatollah Zarghami”: If the regime falls, I will be among the first ten to be executed

Ezzatollah Zarghami stated in an interview: If the regime falls, I will be among the first ten to be executed without trial.

Seyyed Ezzatollah Zarghami, born in March 1388 (2009), is an Iranian politician and military figure who served as Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts from 1400 to 1403 (2021-2024) and is currently a member of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace. Prior to 1400 (2021), he was a member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. The European Union sanctioned him in 1391 (2012) for widespread and severe violations of Iranian citizens’ rights. In addition to European sanctions, the United States Department of the Treasury also sanctioned him in the same year for human rights violations.

Zarghami began his political activities in 1361 (1982) in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its radio program, and was one of the followers of the Imam’s line who also played a role in the occupation of the U.S. Embassy. From 1371 to 1372 (1992-1993), he served as Deputy Minister of Culture and Guidance for Parliamentary Affairs, and from 1374 to 1376 (1995-1997), he was responsible for cinema affairs in the Ministry of Culture.

Ezzatollah Zarghami transferred to the Ministry of Defense and Support of Armed Forces in the seventh administration and from 1376 to 1379 (1997-2000) served as Deputy Minister of Defense for Parliamentary Affairs. In 1379 (2000) and during Ali Larijani’s tenure as head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Organization, he was appointed as Deputy for Parliamentary and Provincial Affairs of the organization and remained active in this position until 1383 (2004). He served as head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Organization for ten years from 1383 to 1393 (2004-2014).

Zarghami played an important role in the emergence of the December 27, 2009 movement by showing images of the torn photo of Khomeini and the burning of mourning flags of Imam Hussein on Ashura Day. As head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Organization, he was also involved in broadcasting confessions of protesters. Zarghami also issued orders for broadcasting the confessions of a number of detainees and court trials of defendants during the protests following the 2009 presidential election results on the television networks of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, and announced in August 2017 that the broadcasting of protesters’ confessions was carried out following the notification of the National Security Council.

Now, Ezzatollah Zarghami has claimed in a video interview that in the event of a change in the Islamic Republic regime, he would be among ten people who would be executed without trial. In this interview, he said: “Now I am in power but have no position. Right now, if the regime changes and God forbid the system collapses and ten people are to be executed without trial, Zarghami is definitely one of them and if they do not execute me, it would be a disgrace to them.”

His claim about his own execution, without trial after a regime change, suggests that the system is aware of its own internal collapse from within and is gasping for breath in its final days.