A young man arrested in Iran for taking part in anti-government protests has been given 10 minutes to say goodbye to his family. He is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday. He was given this time earlier, according to a report.
Erfan Soltani, 26, was arrested on January 8 while participating in a protest. Iranian news outlet Iranwire reported that Erfan was given very little time to meet with his family after his arrest. At the time, security officials told relatives that this would be the last time they would see him. After that, he would be hanged.
The Norway-based human rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR) said that Erfan is the first of the detained protesters whose execution date is believed to have been finalized. The organization alleged that he was not given any kind of lawyer or legal representation. The Iranian government is even going to execute him without any trial.
A source close to Irfan's family told IranWire, "A lawyer close to Irfan wanted to fight the case on his behalf. But security forces prevented him and threatened him."
The source claimed, "The security officials made it clear to him (the lawyer) that there were no documents to review. We had already announced that all those arrested during the protests would be given the death penalty."
According to local media reports, Irfan's family has also been warned that if they speak out publicly about the matter or try to contact the media, they too could be arrested.
The US Sun reported that Erfan was charged with "waging war against God," a crime punishable by death under Iranian law.
Due to the nationwide blackout in Iran, it has not yet been possible to verify the full details of Irfan's death sentence by any impartial party.
Erfan, a young garment worker, took part in a protest on the streets of Karaj on Thursday, where thousands of people gathered to protest Iran's current regime and its failure to revive an economy battered by US-led Western sanctions.
According to human rights organizations, more than 10,000 protesters have been arrested since protests spread to 31 provinces in Iran in late December.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that Tehran has taken a tough stance in suppressing the protests. The death toll in the ongoing violence is estimated to be between 500 and 2,000.
The Iranian government is blaming the United States and Israel for inciting unrest in these protests.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump called for the protests to continue on Tuesday as part of his tough stance against the Iranian regime. Pledging to stand with the protesters, he wrote on his social media account Truth Social, "Iranian patriots, keep protesting - take over your institutions!!!...Help is coming."
Trump, who has escalated his threat of military action against Iran, also said he has canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the "indiscriminate killing" of protesters stops.
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