Iran has delayed the scheduled execution of a 26-year-old protester, a human rights organization confirmed to MS NOW, citing information from his family.
Erfan Soltani, 26, had been set to be executed by Iranian authorities on Wednesday, according to The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a Norway-based group, after his arrest at his home outside Tehran on Jan. 8. But as of Wednesday, the execution order “has not been implemented and has been postponed,” Hengaw told MS NOW.
“We remain seriously concerned about Erfan Soltani’s right to life,” Hengaw said. Soltani went through what the organization described as “a rapid and opaque judicial process,” and his family has been denied information about the legal proceedings against him, including what charges he faces.
President Donald Trump, who previously warned of “very strong action” if Iran hangs protesters, said at the Oval Office on Wednesday that he was told “on good authority” that “there’s no plan for executions or an execution.”
“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, it’s stopped, it’s stopping,” Trump added, without elaborating.
Hengaw said it could not confirm claims that executions have stopped in Iran.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, which cross-checks collected data with people on the ground, said earlier Wednesday that more than 2,400 protesters have died so far, including 12 children, and more than 18,000 people have been arrested in protests in Iran. Hengaw said it “cannot confirm broader claims about executions stopping in Iran” at this moment.
The protests, which began on Dec. 28, were first sparked by the collapse of the Iranian rial. Authorities have waged a brutal crackdown on demonstrators and imposed a communications blackout, prompting condemnation from leaders across the globe.
Trump has issued statements of support for protesters over the past few days, including one on Truth Social on Tuesday urging Iranians to “keep protesting” and vowing that “help is on the way.”
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that the U.S. has withdrawn troops from some bases in the Middle East, citing an unnamed U.S. official. Iranian leaders have warned that they are ready for war should the U.S. take military action.
The U.S. government issued a security alert on Tuesday telling Americans to leave Iran by land amid the turmoil
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.