Overview
- Rights groups say Erfan Soltani, arrested on January 8 in Karaj/Fardis, was scheduled to be hanged on January 14 after his family was informed of a death sentence.
- Independent monitors report he was denied legal counsel and, as far as they know, received no trial, while his sister, a lawyer, was blocked from accessing the case file.
- Soltani has been reported as charged with “waging war against God,” an offense punishable by death under Iranian law.
- A nationwide internet and phone blackout has severely limited independent verification of arrests, legal proceedings and casualty figures.
- Human-rights organizations cite more than 10,000 detentions and widely varying death tolls from hundreds to around 2,000, as the UN condemns the crackdown and President Trump warns Iran of very strong consequences and new trade tariffs.