Rouhollah Zam’s Father Denies Family’s Involvement in His Arrest
Rouhollah Zam’s father, founder of the Amad News website and Telegram channel, issued a statement denying his family’s participation in the process of his son’s arrest.
Mohammadali Zam, in a statement welcoming his son’s arrest, described him as “naive and gullible” and said that none of his family members participated in “preparing conditions, arranging travel plans, and his arrest.”
Previously, reports had circulated on social media regarding Rouhollah Zam’s family’s cooperation with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to bring him to Iraq.
Mohammadali Zam also wrote that his son’s return to Iran took place “under the pretext of meeting with the Shiite religious authority.”
Earlier, several media outlets had reported that Mr. Zam’s arrest occurred following his trip to Iraq, and that this journey was to meet with Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the leader of Shiites in Iraq, in Najaf.
However, Iranian media on Wednesday, October 15, citing an informed official in the office of this religious authority in Najaf, Iraq, stated that Rouhollah Zam “never had any direct or indirect contact with this office” and “no one sent a request for a meeting on his behalf.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps announced on October 13 that it had arrested Rouhollah Zam in what it described as “a complex operation using deceptive intelligence tactics.”
Although the location of Rouhollah Zam’s arrest was not officially announced, his spouse and relatives say he disappeared during a trip to Iraq.
Mohammad Toleii, head of supervision at the office of the IRGC’s supreme commander, said on Tuesday, October 14, without providing details, that Rouhollah Zam, founder of the Amad News website, was arrested “in cooperation with other intelligence services.”
The 20:30 news bulletin on Iran’s state television claimed that Rouhollah Zam was arrested in Iraqi Kurdistan near the Iran border.
However, the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government denied this claim.
Rouhollah Zam is the founder of the Amad News website and, following the December 2017 protests, Iranian authorities made statements against him.
Among them, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s Minister of Communications, in a Twitter message addressed to Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, accused the Amad News channel of “inciting hatred, using Molotov cocktails, armed rebellion and social unrest” and called for it to be shut down.
Following this, the Amad News channel, with more than 1.4 million members, was blocked by the operators of the messaging network.
The CEO of Telegram wrote on Twitter that the activity of “Amad News channel, disregarding regulations concerning non-incitement to violence,” has been suspended.
The operators of “Amad News,” however, by launching similar channels, were able to regain part of their audience in a short time after being blocked.
Security agencies of the Islamic Republic have also arrested several individuals in recent years for allegedly cooperating with this website. Rouhollah Zam’s brother and two sisters were previously arrested on this charge and spent time in prison.
Source: Radio Farda
