Who betrayed Iranian journalist Ruhollah Zam?

Ruhollah Zam, an Iranian journalist, and oppositionist was hanged at Evin Prison on December 12.

He had been found guilty of “spreading corruption on Earth,” a catch-all term used by Iran’s regime to convict those it targets for activities in the field of political activity and espionage.

Zam, who had been in captivity since October 2019, was the founder and director of a popular Telegram channel and forum called Amad News, which carried up-to-the-minute information on the demonstrations and protests that swept Iran in 2017 and 2018.

The channel, which had 1.4 million followers, provided details regarding upcoming protests, and about officials who were challenging the regime.

The reach and influence of Amad News appear to have led to the regime’s decision to target and eliminate Zam. The journalist had lived in Paris since 2011.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), according to the available evidence, put in motion a complex sting operation to lure Zam to Iraq, from where he was kidnapped and taken to Iran.

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The full details regarding this operation have not yet emerged, but what is known, or suspected, is casting a pall over Iran’s dissidents and opposition communities in Europe because of what it reveals regarding the apparent extent of their penetration by the agencies of the Iranian regime, and regarding the extent of Tehran’s sway over Iraq. So what do we know about the process by which Ruhollah Zam was lured to Iraq and then taken to Iran? First, it is important to note that for an Iranian dissident to leave the (relative) safety of France for Iraq is in itself a rash act bordering on foolhardiness. Iraq today is, to a great extent, Iranian-occupied territory. In a manner reminiscent of the situation in Lebanon, Tehran’s reach extends deep into the structures of Iraqi governance and security. Powerful Shia militias such as the Badr organization exert influence within the Interior Ministry. Via the structures of the Popular Mobilization Units, IRGC bodies play an official security role.