Iran ‘to hang man without trial for taking part in mass protests’
A young Iranian man who took part in anti-government protests in his country will be executed tomorrow for ‘waging a war against God’.
26-year-old Erfan Soltani will be hanged for his participation in the protests, which have rocked Iran and left hundreds of innocent civilians dead.
His execution is expected to be the first linked to the current protests – and will be carried out tomorrow, after he was denied a lawyer and a fair trial.
Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based organisation, said in a statement: ‘The widespread killing of civilian protesters in recent days by the Islamic Republic is reminiscent of the regime’s crimes in the 1980s, which have been recognised as crimes against humanity.
‘The international community has a duty to protect civilian protesters against mass killing by the Islamic Republic.’
Soltani was first arrested five days ago while protesting in his town of Fardis, on the outskirts of Tehran.
The National Union for Democracy in Iran wrote: ‘His only crime was calling for freedom.’
The internet in Iran has been cut off for days now as the government looks to quell massive protests, which began on December 28.
Witnesses in Tehran called the AP news agency and said a heavy security presence in the capital has taken over.
Anti-riot police officers, wearing helmets and body armour, carry batons, shields, shotguns and tear-gas launchers, all on standby.
ATMs had been smashed, and banks struggled to complete transactions without the internet, the witnesses said.
The US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency has said 490 demonstrators and 48 security personnel have been killed so far, with more than 10,600 people arrested in two weeks of unrest.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, claimed on Monday that ‘the situation has come under total control’, but offered no evidence for his claim.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult.
The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
One victim was Rubina Aminian, 23, a fashion student at Shariati College in Tehran, who was killed after leaving the college and joining protest gatherings on January 8.
Sources close to her family told Iran Human Rights that the young Kurdish woman was shot from close range from behind in the head.
Rubina’s mother said: ‘It wasn’t just my daughter; I saw hundreds of bodies with my own eyes’.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.