In an interview with Iran International, Mahsa Razani, the wife of Rouhollah Zam said her husband has been kidnapped in Baghdad and the French government was aware of his trip to Iraq.

Razani told Iran International that she saw her husband on Thursday in Paris, and the next day he flew to Jordan and was supposed to go to Baghdad after that.

Rouhollah Zam was the admin and editor of one of the largest Persian opposition Telegram channels and websites outside of Iran with almost a million followers. 

She says after her husband arrived in Baghdad she was unaware of his conditions and despite sending multiple messages she did not receive a response until 24 hours later when Zam contacted her for a minute and told her “in a strange tone” that he was ok and she doesn’t need to worry.

According to Razani, she did not receive any more other calls after that until she heard the news of his arrest on Monday. She says she does not know where her husband is, but she is certain that Zam arrived in Baghdad and was “kidnapped” there.

Rouhollah Zam’s wife says she was not involved with her husband’s work, but he had told her that this was a “planned work trip.”

She asked the government of France to help in finding out her husband’s fate.

The foreign ministry of France has strongly condemned the kidnapping of Rouhollah Zam and announced that it has no detailed information about the conditions of his arrest.

The ministry’s spokesperson told Iran International that Zam left French soil on October 11 and added that Zam is a refugee and not a French citizen so he can freely enter or leave France.

The office of Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq also denied the rumors about Zam’s visit and announced that Rouhollah Zam has never had any direct or indirect contact with the office and the office is not aware of his trip to Iraq.