Iran’s execution of Zam ‘barbaric,’ nuclear deal would enrich ‘evil’ regime: Rubio
US Senator Marco Rubio condemned on Tuesday Iran’s “barbaric” execution of prominent dissident journalist Rouhallah Zam.
“Iran kidnapped Iranian journalist Rouhallah Zam and executed him. Truly barbaric and again expose the nature of the regime,” Rubio said on his official Twitter account.
The Republican lawmaker also described the Iran nuclear deal as “flawed” and that “rushing back” into the deal would only enrich the “evil regime.”
“Rushing back into [the] flawed #IranDeal would enrich this evil regime. [The] US stands with the Iranian people not their oppressors,” Rubio tweeted.
Zam was killed on Saturday, provoking criticism of Iran’s human rights record.
He had been based in Paris and was seized last year in circumstances that have not been officially disclosed. A news agency close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said last week he had been captured in Iraq.
Zam was convicted of fomenting violence during anti-government protests in 2017. His Amadnews social media feed had more than 1 million followers.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also called the execution “unjust, barbaric,” adding in a tweet: “Zam exposed the brutality and corruption of the regime, which has killed or arrested more than 860 journalists in its 41-year reign of terror.”
