The prominent Iranian dissident and blogger Ruhollah Zam was sentenced to death on Tuesday by a revolutionary court in Tehran, Iran.
Court
spokesperson Gholam-Hussein Ismaili said Zam can still appeal to the country’s
highest court .
Revolutionary courts in Iran preside over espionage cases and threats to national security.
Zam stands accused of
using his website, Amad News, to spread propaganda against Iran’s leadership
and to provoke protests against the regime, some of which turned violent.
In particular, he was said to have strongly
condemned alleged irregularities in the 2009 presidential election which saw
the re-election of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The
blogger then emigrated to France via Malaysia. Zam had also conducted several
interviews with Farsi-language broadcasters abroad, in which he expressed sharp
criticism of the Iranian leadership.
According to media reports, the blogger was allegedly lured to neighbouring Iraq by Iranian security forces, where he was reportedly arrested last autumn and taken to Iran to stand trial.
Since
then, Zam has pleaded guilty in several court hearings and asked for
forgiveness.
Political
commentators, therefore, expect the death sentence to be overturned during his
appeal.
DPA/NAN
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