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- Ruhollah Zam was hanged on Saturday after Iran's supreme court upheld his death sentence passed in June over his role in protests during the winter of 2017-18
- The EU in a statement on Saturday condemned the execution in the "strongest terms" and emphasised its "irrevocable opposition to the use of capital punishment"
TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday summoned the envoys of Germany, current holder of the European Union鈥檚 rotating presidency, and of France over criticism of the execution of an Iranian journalist, Iranian media reported.
The Foreign Ministry voiced Iran鈥檚 protest to the two ambassadors over French and EU criticism of the execution on Saturday of dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam, who had been based in Paris before he was captured in Iraq and taken to Iran.
Zam was convicted of fomenting violence during anti-government protests in 2017. His Amadnews feed had more than 1 million followers.
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The EU said in a statement after his execution: 鈥淭he European Union condemns this act in the strongest terms and recalls once again its irrevocable opposition to the use of capital punishment under any circumstances.鈥�
The French Foreign Ministry called the execution a 鈥渂arbaric and unacceptable act,鈥� saying in a statement: 鈥淔rance condemns in the strongest possible terms this serious breach of free expression and press freedom in Iran.鈥�
Amnesty International and press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also condemned the execution.
Iranian officials have accused the United States, as well as Tehran鈥檚 regional rival 抖阴短视频 and government opponents living in exile, of stoking the unrest that began in late 2017 as regional protests over economic hardship spread nationwide.
Officials said 21 people were killed during the unrest and thousands were arrested. The unrest was among the worst Iran has seen in decades, and was followed by even deadlier protests last year against fuel price rises.