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Erfan Soltani: Detained protester remains at risk despite Trump’s claim that Iran halted executions
Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old Iranian shopkeeper, is at risk of execution after participating in protests.
An Iranian shopkeeper detained for taking part in an anti-government protest remains at high risk of execution despite claims by US President Donald Trump that Iran has halted the hanging of protesters, according to a human rights group.
Erfan Soltani, 26, was arrested after participating in protests last week and was tried, convicted and sentenced to death, according to the Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights, a Norway-based group monitoring abuses in Iran.
Soltani was initially set to face execution on Wednesday, the Daily Mail reported.
Following Trump’s warning that the US would take “very strong action” if Iran began executing protesters, Iranian officials said Soltani would not be executed. However, Hengaw said the sentence has only been postponed, not withdrawn, citing sources close to Soltani’s family.
Execution risk remains
“We are still worried about his life,” Arina Moradi, a representative of Hengaw, told the Daily Mail. She said executions in Iran can occur quickly after sentencing, but in some cases are delayed for months or years before being carried out without warning.
Soltani is currently being held at Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj, where Moradi said torture is “very possible.” She added that political prisoners often face forced confessions, which authorities later use to justify carrying out sentences, even if charges are later denied in court or before a lawyer.
Iran’s judiciary said Soltani is charged with “colluding against the country’s internal security and propaganda activities against the regime,” adding that such charges do not carry the death penalty if confirmed by a court.
Crackdown on protesters
Hengaw warned that Soltani’s case is one of thousands linked to the ongoing crackdown. According to figures cited by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 2,677 people have been killed since the protests began, including 2,478 protesters.
The number of detainees has reached 19,097, the group said.
Moradi said families of detainees and victims are under intense pressure, with reports of home raids, satellite confiscations and internet shutdowns limiting communication. In some cases, families are forced to pay authorities to retrieve the bodies of relatives killed in custody, she said.
