Ruhollah Zam Sentenced to Death for ‘Corruption on Earth’

Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Esmaeili announced on Tuesday that the investigations into Zam’s case had been finalized, and that he had been found guilty of corruption on earth, among other crimes.

“The court has considered 13 counts of charges together as instances of corruption on earth, and therefore passed the death sentence,” he said.

“Regarding several other charges, he has been sentenced to life in prison, but the ruling is not final and can be appealed at the Supreme Court,” the official added.

Amad News was notorious for disseminating incriminating content against the Islamic establishment, insulting the sanctity of Iranian Muslims and publishing fake news in order to drive a wedge between the Iranian people and government.

Zam faced charges of having “committed offenses against the country’s internal and external security” and “espionage for the French intelligence service,” alongside “corruption on earth” as well as insult to “the sanctity of Islam” according to an indictment released in February.

He was arrested in October 2019 by the Intelligence Organization of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corp (IRGC).

The meticulous intelligence operation involved outmaneuvering the intelligence services of certain Western countries, especially France, which offered Zam guidance and protection for his operation.

“Intelligence forces had been keeping a watchful eye on Rouhollah Zam’s movements for a long time and he stepped into the intelligence trap set by IRGC some two years ago. Ultimately, we were able to arrest him through cooperation with other intelligence services,” Second Brigadier General Mohammad Tavallaei, a high-ranking IRGC official, said at the time.