Erfan Soltani, an Iranian detained in connection with anti-government protests and allegedly sentenced to death has been released on bail, a rights group and Iranian state media said.
was arrested last month, when demonstrations took over the country, triggering a violent repression by the authorities.
He was detained on January 10 at his home in Fardis, a city about 40 kilometers west of Tehran, and accused of “conspiracy and conspiracy against the country’s internal security” as well as “propaganda activities” against the regime, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
After his arrest, the U.S. State Department and a relative of Soltani said Iranian authorities planned to execute him, but it was “fabricated news,” according to IRIB.
Soltani’s family later said his execution had been postponed, and US President Donald Trump said he had received assurances “from credible sources” that there were no plans for executions in Iran, amid fears over Soltani’s fate.
Trump, stating that the US would “take strong action”.
On Saturday (31), Soltani was released on bail, according to Hengaw, a human rights organization based in Norway. Iranian state broadcaster Press TV also confirmed Soltani’s release in a Telegram post.
Soltani’s uncertain fate became one of the most high-profile international stories during the massive anti-government protests that rocked Iran last month. Iranian security forces responded with a brutal crackdown, as well as a long internet shutdown across the country.
On January 19, the CNN reported that Soltani was in good health and had managed to meet with his family, according to Hengaw and a relative.
A relative of Soltani, identified as Somayeh, said in an interview with CNN last month that Soltani was an “incredibly gentle and kind-hearted young man” who “always fought for Iran’s freedom.”
More than 6,400 protesters have been killed and more than a thousand have been arrested since protests began last month, according to recent reports from US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which added that another 11,280 deaths are under investigation.
A CNN could not independently verify HRANA’s figures.
Violent repression
Despite the internet shutdown, details of the violent crackdown continued to emerge, with witnesses, human rights activists and health professionals reporting to the CNN that security forces unleashed widespread violence against protesters.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during more than two weeks of protests, but attributed some of the deaths to Trump, who he said “openly encouraged” protesters by promising them “military support” from the US.
As protests intensified, Trump encouraged Iranians to keep demonstrating and “take control” of the country’s institutions, assuring them that “help was on the way.” However, no military action took place during the protests or the subsequent crackdown.
Instead, Trump, after negotiations on limiting the country’s nuclear program and ballistic missile production failed to advance, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The US has also reinforced its military presence in the region.
Negotiations with the USA
In a post on the social network Truth Social on Wednesday (28), Trump demanded that Iran come to the negotiating table for “a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS”, warning that the next US attack on the country “will be much worse” than the one carried out last summer against three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN on Sunday that he is with the US over Tehran’s weapons program.
However, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, struck a defiant tone, warning of a US attack.
“Americans must know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” he told a crowd at the Imam Khomeini mosque in Tehran on Sunday.
Iran has one of the highest execution rates in the world and has executed several protesters following periods of large-scale protests and riots.
