By Euronews
Published on
An Iranian man arrested during protests who faced what activists warned was imminent execution has not been sentenced to death and is not facing charges that risk the death penalty, the judiciary said Thursday.
Erfan Soltani is imprisoned in Karaj outside Tehran after his arrest and is facing charges of propaganda against Iran’s Islamic system and acting against national security, the judiciary said in a statement carried by state TV.
He has “not been sentenced to death” and if convicted, “the punishment, according to the law, will be imprisonment, as the death penalty does not exist for such charges,” it added.
The announcement contradicted earlier reports that Soltani, 26, would be executed Wednesday, less than a week after his 8 January arrest at his home in Fardis.
Human rights organisation Hengau had reported that judicial authorities informed Soltani’s family four days after his arrest that a death sentence had been issued and confirmed.
Authorities ordered the family to visit Qazl-Hisar prison in Karaj on Tuesday to meet him, raising concerns this would be a final meeting before execution.
Reports said Soltani’s case proceeded without minimum fair trial standards. He was denied access to a lawyer of his choice and other legal rights from arrest until sentencing.
A source close to the family told Hengau that Soltani’s sister, a barrister, applied to represent her brother and investigate his case but authorities prevented her from accessing the file. The family was kept unaware of the details of charges or the court process.
Human rights organisations expressed grave concern over the possible establishment of “field courts” and use of the death penalty to suppress protests. The groups called on international bodies to intervene.
Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei hinted at fast trials and executions for those detained in nationwide protests in a video Tuesday, despite a warning from US President Donald Trump that he would “take very strong action” if executions take place.
At least 2,572 people have been killed in the crackdown so far, according to activists, with the death toll rising to levels unseen in decades.
Insiders within Iran told Euronews the death toll is feared considerably higher, with as many as 15,000 Iranians feared dead as the Tehran regime reportedly increased its violent crackdown against demonstrations in recent days.
Trump has previously warned Iran’s leaders he was terminating any negotiations and would “act accordingly.”
Details of the crackdown began emerging Tuesday as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications countrywide when protests broke out and activists warned hangings of detainees could come soon.
Trump said Wednesday that he’s been told “on good authority” that plans for executions stopped, even as Tehran has indicated executions were to come in its crackdown on protesters.
“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping — it’s stopped — it’s stopping,” Trump said at the White House. “And there’s no plan for executions, or an execution, or executions — so I’ve been told that on good authority.”
