German PEN Association: A Street in Berlin Should Be Named After Rouhollah Zam
The German branch of the International PEN Association (PEN) has proposed to the Berlin Senate to rename a street where the Embassy of the Islamic Republic is located after Rouhollah Zam, so that every correspondence with the embassy serves as a reminder of the crime that was committed.
The German branch of the International PEN Association (PEN), headquartered in the city of Darmstadt, condemned the execution of Rouhollah Zam, a journalist opposed to the Islamic Republic. The association, while expressing deep regret at the implementation of this sentence, has emphasized that Zam’s killing should not pass for Iran without political and economic consequences.
PEN has also proposed that a section of the broad boulevard Podbielskiallee in Berlin be named after Rouhollah Zam. This is the street where the Embassy of the Islamic Republic is located.
Linder Sukrov, Deputy of the German PEN Association, says: “We request that the Berlin Senate make a decision on this as soon as possible so that every letter and message to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic bears the name of Rouhollah Zam, and this heinous crime is not forgotten.”
Rouhollah Zam, administrator of the Telegram channel “AmadNews” with more than one million users, was executed on the morning of Saturday, December 13.
He had gone to France after the suppression of the Green Movement. During a trip to Iraq, he was arrested in a complex operation by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and handed over to Iran. In February 2020, a court headed by Abolqasem Salavati tried him on more than 15 security charges and sentenced him to death.
During the 13 months Zam was in prison, several videos of his “forced confessions” were broadcast, which sparked protests from human rights organizations.
Amnesty International called his execution “a deadly blow” to freedom of expression. The European Union, Germany, France, Canada, and the United States also condemned this execution. Europe also cancelled an economic meeting with Iran that was scheduled to take place in Tehran from Monday, December 14, for three days, in response to this execution.
Source: DW
