Prominent Iranian dissident arrested

The administrator of the anti-government Telegram channel ‘Amad News’ – which has around 1.4 million subscribers – Ruhollah Zam was arrested. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Iran’s state television that Zam was arrested amid a ‘complex operation using intelligence deception’ and accused him of contributing to ‘the enemy’s media network’ and conducting a ‘psychological warfare.’ Additionally, they took control of his Telegram channel. ‘Election campaigns are increasingly waged on Telegram, Twitter, and Instagram. Social media networks serve as major platforms for Iranians to discuss political, social, and cultural issues; and mobile applications are being rapidly developed for business start-ups’ according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).