The late Iranian journalist Rouhollah Zam was not told of his execution date in advance of the event, according to a post on an Instagram account purportedly belonging to his father.
Rouhollah Zam was hanged on Saturday after Iran's supreme court upheld a death sentence passed in June over his role in protests during the winter of 2017-2018, among other charges.
At least 25 people were killed during the unrest in December 2017 and January 2018 that was sparked by economic hardship.
Mohammad Ali Zam, a cleric who served in high-ranking government positions in the 1980s, said he had met his son a day before his execution, which Rouhollah was not told had been confirmed.
"The person responsible for the case had insisted multiple times that no one should say anything about the confirmation of his execution," Mohammad wrote, recalling people crying during congregational prayers with Rouhollah that day.
He was killed four days after the supreme court upheld the sentence – a move that rights group Amnesty International said aimed at avoiding an international campaign to save the dissident journalist's life.
Rouhollah, who founded the anti-government website and Telegram channel AmadNews, was charged with 13 offences that fall under the vague umbrella of sowing “corruption on earth” – a capital crime in Iran.
AmadNews was shut down on Telegram after it “started to instruct subscribers to use Molotov cocktails against police”, said Telegrams chief executive Pavel Durov.
Rouhollah quickly created another channel.
He was granted asylum in France, fleeing Iran after the 2009 presidential election protests. Rouhollah was then arrested and repatriated under unknown circumstances in October 2019.
The French Foreign Ministry said he left France on October 11, 2019. It said it had no information about his arrest outside France.
Iran says it ran a “meticulous intelligence operation” to deceive foreign intelligence services and lure him back into the country for prosecution.
“Zam had been ... promoting Irano-phobia, disseminating fake news, fomenting doubt among the young generation about religious beliefs, preparing the ground for acts of violence and terror, and provoking unrest inside the country,” state news agency Press TV reported.
Reporters Without Borders said Rouhollah was kidnapped and forcibly returned to Iran.
In 2017, Mohammad wrote a letter criticising his son for crossing the “red line”, Iranian media reported at the time.
“Our red line is the supreme leader, but you passed the red line,” the letter said.
After his son's arrest, Mohammad claimed Rouhollah was not allowed to see family or lawyers for nine months and was permitted to meet only a court-appointed lawyer under the supervision of security personnel. Mohammad's claims were reported by Amnesty International.
The initial spark for the 2017 protests was a sudden jump in food prices. Many believe that hardline opponents of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani instigated the first demonstrations in the conservative city of Mashhad in north-east Iran, trying to direct public anger at the president. But as protests spread from town to town, the backlash turned against the entire ruling class.
Rouhollah is one of three opposition figures apparently detained after intelligence operations abroad. In late July, a California-based member of an Iranian militant opposition group in exile was abducted while in the Gulf, his family said.
Iran is believed to have seized the former head of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, a militant separatist group, while he was in Turkey. Iran accuses Farajollah Cha’ab of being behind a 2018 attack on a military parade that killed at least 25 people and wounded 70.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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BELGIUM%20SQUAD
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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