US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Iran has chosen not to execute a detained protester who took part in anti-government demonstrations. This decision came after human rights activists and the US State Department highlighted the issue.
Trump stated, “We have been told that executions in Iran are stopping, and there are no plans for any executions. The killing has stopped. The executions have halted.”
Previously, there were concerns that Iranian authorities might execute Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old protester arrested less than a week ago, according to his family and the State Department.
Trump reassured reporters, “There is no plan for an execution. I have reliable information on this. We will confirm the situation. I would be very upset if it happened.” He did not provide details about his source.
Soltani’s family member, Somayeh, told CNN that the execution planned for earlier that day had not taken place. However, she mentioned that it was not officially canceled, and they were waiting for more updates.
Hengaw, a human rights organization based in Norway, reported later on Wednesday that Soltani’s execution has been postponed.
In a post on X on Tuesday, the State Department said Iranian authorities intended to execute Soltani, who was arrested at home last week for his involvement in protests in Fardis, a city about 25 miles west of Tehran.
The State Department added, “More than 10,600 Iranians have been arrested by the Islamic Republic regime just for demanding their basic rights. Erfan Soltani, 26, is among them, and his death sentence was set for January 14.”
10-min Sham Trial
Somayeh spoke to CNN on Tuesday. She did not give her full name due to safety concerns. She said that Soltani was “an incredibly kind and warm-hearted young man” who “always fought for the freedom of Iran.”
Somayeh explained that Soltani was not allowed a lawyer or a chance to appeal his death sentence. She stated that his trial was rushed.
Experts say that rushed death sentences and unfair trials happen often in Iran.
The US State Department mentioned on social media that “this time, the Islamic Republic regime didn’t even bother with its usual 10-minute sham trial.”
In an interview with Fox News aired Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that hanging protesters is “out of the question.” He said he is confident about this and described reports saying otherwise as part of a “misinformation campaign.” He believes these reports are meant to provoke President Trump and could lead to serious consequences.
Over the weekend, Iranian Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi Azad said that legal actions against protesters, whom he called “terrorists,” will happen “without leniency, mercy, or appeasement,” according to the semi-official news agency Tasnim.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that its intelligence network received almost 400,000 public reports, resulting in some arrests.
Denied Access to Case
Hengaw reported that Soltani was arrested at his home last Thursday. Four days later, his family learned that he would be executed.
Soltani’s family cannot access any information about his case, including the charges against him. His sister, who is a licensed lawyer, tried to look into the case but has been blocked by authorities from seeing the case file.
They received only a short chance to visit him one last time before his execution.
This upcoming execution has increased tensions between the United States and Iran, with Trump considering military action against Iran.
On Tuesday, Trump warned Iran not to execute protesters and said the US would respond strongly. In an interview with CBS News, he said, “If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action,” but he did not explain what that would be. Trump acknowledged he had not heard about hangings but stressed that such actions could lead to a strong US response.
“We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran. If they want to protest, that’s one thing; but when they start killing thousands of people, and now you’re telling me about hangings, we’ll see how that works out for them,” Trump said. “It’s not going to work out well.”
Somayeh, a family member, reached out to Trump for help.
“Our demand now is that Trump truly stand behind his words because the Iranian people came to the streets based on those statements,” she told CNN on Tuesday. “An unarmed population trusted these words and is now under gunfire. I beg you, please do not let Erfan be executed. Please.”
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