The family of Erfan Soltani, the first Iranian protester sentenced to death since the current unrest began, have been told his execution has been postponed. Soltani, a 26-year-old clothing shop employee, was arrested in Karaj on 28 December after participating in protests and was due to be executed on Wednesday, according to rights groups.
On Wednesday, hours after the scheduled execution, prison authorities called the family and said the execution had been postponed without offering further details. Relatives had anxiously waited through the night, aware that Iranian authorities typically carry out executions around the morning call to prayers.
Somayeh, a 45-year-old close relative living abroad, said: “I can’t stop thinking about Erfan. The uncertainty is killing me. How can anyone have the heart to put a rope round the neck of such a kind child and send him to die?” Rights groups say Soltani was denied access to a lawyer and legal defence, and was sentenced to death four days after his arrest.
More than 18,000 people have been arrested and at least 2,571 killed over the last two weeks, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists news agency. Protests began on 28 December after a sudden slide in the value of the currency and have since expanded to demand political reforms.
Iran’s chief justice signalled on Wednesday that trials and executions would be swift, telling state media “we should do it now” to deter protesters. Rights groups fear there are many other cases like Soltani’s that remain unknown due to an internet blackout in Iran.
