Iran executed on Saturday journalist Ruhollah Zam, a former opposition figure who had lived in exile in France and was implicated in anti-government protests, state television said.

The broadcaster said the "counterrevolutionary" Zam was hung in the morning after the supreme court upheld his sentence due to "the severity of the crimes" committed against the Islamic republic.

Zam operated a Telegram channel named 'Amadnews', which he founded in 2015. 

According to DW, Zam helped inspire the 2017 anti-government protests in the country.

He was captured in 2019 and sentenced to death in June after being convicted of "corruption on Earth," a charge often used in cases involving espionage or attempts to overthrow the government.

With input from AFP