An Iranian man detained in connection with anti-government protests and reportedly sentenced to death has been released on bail, according to human rights groups and Iranian state media.
Erfan Soltani, 26, was arrested last month when demonstrations roiled the country and prompted a violent crackdown by authorities. He was arrested on January 10 at his home in Fardis, a city about 40 miles west of Tehran, and charged with “gathering and collusion against internal security” and “propaganda” against the regime, state broadcaster IRIB news agency said.
According to IRIB news agency, after Soltani’s arrest, the US State Department and one of Soltani’s relatives announced that Iranian authorities were planning to execute him, but Iranian judicial authorities dismissed these reports as “fabricated news.”
Soltani’s family later announced that his execution had been postponed, and US President Donald Trump said he had received assurances “on legitimate authority” that there were no plans to execute him in Iran amid concerns about Soltani’s fate. President Trump warned Iran not to execute protesters, saying the United States would take “strong action.”
Soltani was released on bail on Saturday, according to Norway-based human rights organization Hengau. Iranian state media outlet Press TV also confirmed Soltani’s release in a Telegram post.
Soltani’s precarious fate became one of the most high-profile cases internationally during the massive anti-government protests that rocked Iran last month. Iranian security forces responded with brutal crackdowns and a lengthy nationwide internet shutdown.
On January 19, CNN reported that Soltani was in good health and was able to visit his family, according to Hengau and one of his relatives.
A relative of Soltani, identified as Somae, told CNN in an interview last month that Soltani was an “incredibly kind and warm-hearted young man” who “always fought for Iran’s freedom.”
More than 6,400 protesters have been killed and more than 1,000 arrested since the protests erupted last month, according to a recent report by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), adding that 11,280 more deaths are under investigation. CNN cannot independently verify HRANA’s numbers.
Despite the internet shutdown, details of the brutal crackdown continue to emerge, with witnesses, human rights activists and medical experts telling CNN that security forces used widespread violence against demonstrators.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei acknowledged that thousands of Iranians had been killed in more than two weeks of unrest, but blamed some of the deaths on President Trump, who he said had “openly encouraged” the protesters by promising “military assistance” from the United States.
As protests intensified, President Trump encouraged Iranians to continue demonstrating and “taking over” the country’s institutions, assuring them that “help is on the way.” However, no military action was taken during the protests or subsequent crackdown.
Officials told CNN that President Trump is now considering a large-scale attack on Iran after negotiations over limits on Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile production failed to make progress. The United States is also increasing its military presence in the region.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, President Trump called on Iran to come to the table to negotiate a “fair and just deal – no nuclear weapons” and warned that the next U.S. attack on the country “will be far worse” than the attacks it carried out last summer on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN on Sunday that he was “confident that we can reach an agreement” with the United States regarding Iran’s weapons program. But Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei struck a defiant tone, warning that any U.S. attack would face strong retaliation.
“Americans should know that if they start a war, it will be a regional war,” he told a crowd at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosque on Sunday.
Iran has one of the highest execution rates in the world and has previously killed several protesters following large-scale demonstrations and unrest.
