Overview
- Hengaw reported that Soltani’s family had a brief in-person visit on January 18 and confirmed he is alive and in stable physical condition.
- The update contradicts an earlier post from an official Persian-language Israeli government account on X that said he was killed in custody.
- Soltani was arrested on January 8 and reportedly sentenced to death for propaganda against the state, with relatives saying they were told to prepare for a final visit on January 14 that did not lead to an execution.
- NetBlocks and AFP observed a limited return of online services consistent with heavily filtered access, as international calls resumed on January 13 and SMS on January 17 while VPNs remain banned.
- A report cited by the Sunday Times attributes over 16,500 deaths and about 330,000 injuries to the crackdown, figures disputed by Tehran’s claim of roughly 5,000 deaths, with doctors describing military-grade weapons and widespread severe eye injuries and noting the use of Starlink during the blackout.