Human rights entities report that Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old young man, will be executed by the Iranian regime on Wednesday, the 14th. He was arrested on the 8th, at his home in Kurtis, for participating in the protests against the Iranian government, which have been going on since the end of last year.
Erfan’s sentence is Moharebeh, called “enmity against God”, considered highly serious and punishable by death. Iran is an Islamic republic that includes republican institutions – such as president, parliament and elections –, but all power is subject to the leadership and control of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s head of state and religious leader.
According to the NGO Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, after his arrest, Soltani underwent an accelerated trial, without the right to the presence of lawyers, without access to basic rights and with little transparency. His family, according to the entity, spent days without any information about the young man. Iranian authorities only contacted relatives over the weekend, to inform them about the execution.
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10 minutes to say goodbye
The entities also state that the family was entitled to a brief meeting with Erfan Soltani, for around 10 minutes, just to say goodbye. His sister, who is a lawyer, tried to prevent the death penalty through legal means, but the authorities were denied access to the records. Family members would still have been threatened if they spoke publicly about the case.
The news website IranWire reports that Erfan worked in the garment industry and had recently joined a private company. On social media, he used to show his interests in sports and bodybuilding and, according to people close to him, he was passionate about fashion and personal style.
On the same website, a source reported that Soltani had already received threatening messages from security agents before his arrest and even warned his family that he was being watched. Still, he refused to back down and remained participating in the protests. The body responsible for his arrest, trial and eventual execution is not entirely clear.
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Although family members claim that the execution is confirmed, the organization Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) recalls that the Islamic Republic has already used the strategy of announcing death sentences as a way of curbing demonstrations and putting pressure on family members.
“In the case of Abbas Deris, a protester in November 2019, authorities told his family that he had been convicted of murder to force him to ask for forgiveness from the victim’s family, which would be equivalent to a confession of guilt”, says the entity in a note.
Protests
Since December 28, the Iranian regime has been the target of a wave of protests due to the precarious economic conditions experienced by the country. The demonstrations began in Tehran and spread to other cities.
According to data from IHRNGO, at least 648 people were killed, but other sources point to more than 2,000 deaths. State media reported that at least 121 members of Iran’s military, police and judicial forces died in the recent protests, without including data from Tehran.
In response to the demonstrations, Ali Khamenei, Iranian supreme leader, stated that the Islamic Republic would not back down. Masoud Pezeshkian, president of Iran, called on government supporters to gather in neighborhoods and prevent anti-government protests.
Iranian authorities also blocked the internet in the country. According to the company NetBlocks, 99% of the network is inaccessible in Iranian territory. “During the current blockade, only a limited number of citizens have been able to access the internet via Starlink. Reports have also emerged of interference affecting service receivers,” Iran Human Rights reported.
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