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Hengaw Reports Erfan Soltani Alive as Iran Partially Restores Heavily Filtered Internet

The announcement counters an Israeli government post, with independent verification hindered by strict controls on communications.

Overview

  • Hengaw says Soltani’s family was allowed a brief in-person visit on January 18 and confirmed he is alive and in stable physical condition.
  • An official Israeli government account on X had claimed he was killed in custody, a report now disputed by the rights group.
  • AFP reported limited connectivity from its Tehran office, while NetBlocks detected a partial return of services such as Google that indicates strongly filtered access.
  • Authorities are considering a gradual restoration of service, with international calls available since January 13 and SMS since January 17, as VPNs remain banned since January 8.
  • A report by Iranian doctors cited by the Sunday Times alleges more than 16,500 deaths and about 330,000 injuries, including many eye wounds, figures not independently verified under current restrictions.