Iranian protester Erfan Soltani released on bail following fears of execution, reports say

(CNN) — An Iranian man who was detained in connection to anti-government protests and reportedly sentenced to death has been released on bail, according to a rights group and Iranian state media.

Erfan Soltani, 26, was arrested last month as demonstrations roiled the country, sparking a violent crackdown by authorities. He was detained on January 10 at his home in Fardis, a city about 25 miles west of Tehran, and charged with “assembly and collusion against the country’s internal security” as well as “propaganda activities” against the regime, according to the state broadcaster IRIB.

Following him arrest, the US State Department and one of Soltani’s relatives said Iranian authorities planned to execute Soltani, but Iran’s judiciary dismissed those reports as “fabricated news,” according to IRIB.

Soltani’s family later said his execution was postponed, and US President Donald Trump said he had received assurances “on good authority” that there was no plan for executions in Iran amid fears for Soltani’s fate. Trump has warned Iran against executing protesters, saying the US would “take strong action.”

On Saturday, Soltani was released on bail, according to Hengaw, a Norway-based human rights organization. Iranian state media outlet Press TV also confirmed Soltani’s release in a post on Telegram.

Soltani’s precarious fate became one of the most high profile cases internationally during the huge anti-government protests that convulsed Iran last month. Iran’s security forces responded with a brutal crackdown as well as a lengthy internet shutdown nationwide.

On January 19, CNN reported that Soltani was in good physical health and had been able to meet with his family, according to Hengaw and one of his relatives.

Soltani’s relative, identified as Somayeh, said Soltani is an “incredibly kind and warm-hearted young man” who has “always fought for the freedom of Iran” in an interview with CNN last month.

More than 6,400 protesters have been killed and over 1,000 arrested since the protests broke out last month, according to recent reports by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which added a further 11,280 deaths are under review. CNN cannot independently verify HRANA’s numbers.

Despite the internet shutdown, details of the brutal crackdown continued to emerge with witnesses, human rights activists and medical professionals telling CNN that security forces unleashed widespread violence against protesters.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has acknowledged that thousands of Iranians were killed during more than two weeks of unrest — but blamed some of the deaths on Trump, who he said “openly encouraged” the protesters by promising them US “military support.”

As the protests raged, Trump encouraged Iranians to keep up the demonstrations and “take over” the country’s institutions, assuring them that “help is on its way.” However, no military action came during the protests or subsequent crackdown.

Instead, Trump is now weighing a major strike on Iran after negotiations about limiting the nation’s nuclear program and ballistic missile production failed to make progress, people familiar with the matter told CNN. The US has also built up its military presence in the region.

In a post to Truth Social Wednesday, Trump demanded Iran come to the table to negotiate “a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS,” warning the next US attack on the country “will be far worse” than the one it carried out last summer against three of Iran’s nuclear sites.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN on Sunday he is “confident that we can achieve a deal” with the US on Tehran’s weapons program. However, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, struck a defiant tone, warning a US attack would face a strong retaliation.

“The Americans should know that if they initiate a war, this time it will be a regional war,” he told a crowd at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini mosque Sunday.

Iran has one of the world’s highest execution rates and has previously put multiple protesters to death after periods of large-scale demonstrations and unrest.

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