Iranian President Hassan Rouhani defended on Monday the execution of a prominent dissident journalist based in France and captured by Iran last year, saying the death sentence passed on Ruhollah Zam was carried out lawfully.


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European countries "have the right to comment, but Zam was executed upon a court`s ruling," Rouhani told a televised news conference, noting that the judiciary was independent. "I think it`s unlikely that this will hurt Iran-Europe relations."


Zam 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.


He was convicted of fomenting violence during anti-government protests in 2017. His Amadnews social media feed had more than 1 million followers. France called Zam’s execution on Saturday “barbaric and unacceptable”.


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."


Iran`s foreign ministry summoned envoys from France and Germany, current holder of the European Union`s rotating presidency, to protest over criticism of the execution, Iranian media reported on Sunday.