Protester scheduled for execution in Iran did not have access to a lawyer and family was only allowed to visit him for 10 minutes, relatives say

Erfan Soltani, protester arrested in Iran Reproduction/Instagram Protester Erfan Soltani, who was sentenced to death in Iran, did not have access to a lawyer, his family said this Tuesday (13). According to his relatives, they were only allowed to visit him for 10 minutes. Soltani is expected to be executed as early as Wednesday, according to the Kurdish-Iranian humanitarian organization Hengaw. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp SANDRA COHEN: Why is this wave of protests in Iran different from previous ones? Soltani, 16, was arrested last Thursday (13) at his home in connection with protests against the ayatollahs’ regime in the city of Karaj. Authorities informed the family that the death sentence was final, Hengaw reported. Analysis: what to expect from the protests in Iran? “The hasty and opaque handling of this case has raised concerns about the use of the death penalty as a tool to suppress public protests,” the organization said. The head of the Iranian Judiciary, subordinate to the Ayatollahs and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, had already said that specialized courts had been designated to deal with the protests. The NGO Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) says it is “extremely concerned about the situation in the country and warns of” the risk of mass executions of protesters. Reuters. The source interviewed by Reuters blamed the protesters, who he called “terrorists”, for the deaths of citizens and security agents during the protests. ➡️ The demonstrations, which began in December, focused on the country’s poor economic situation, but the violent repression led the protesters to call for an end to the regime of the ayatollahs, who have ruled Iran since the 1979 Revolution. Also on Tuesday, the high commissioner of the United Nations (UN) for Rights. Humans, Volker Türk, said he was “horrified” by what he called the Iranian security forces’ repression of peaceful protests. Officially, Iran had not confirmed the new balance until the last update of this report. On Monday (12), Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, declared that the situation in the country was “under complete control” after the increase in violence linked to the protests over the weekend. Trump, of a new offensive against Tehran if the violent repression of protests continued, motivated “terrorists” to attack protesters and security forces, to justify this intervention. READ ALSO: Trump asks protesters in Iran to continue protesting: ‘Help is on the way’ Russia condemns US ‘interference’ in Iran and says that new attacks on the country could have ‘disastrous consequences’ US must intervene in Iran Trump threatens to intervene militarily in Iran “We are going to hit them hard force where it hurts most,” Trump said in relation to Iran last week. The US president had already said he would intervene previously. On January 2, he declared that the US was “ready to act” if people protesting peacefully were killed. On Saturday (10), Trump renewed the threats by saying that Iran is “seeking freedom” and that Americans are “ready to help”. Reuters and Associated Press that the death toll rose to 538, including 490 protesters and 48 police officers. In addition, more than 10,670 people were arrested, according to the organization on Sunday (11). Other human rights NGOs that monitor the situation in Iran have also reported on the deaths from the protests. Iranian security forces fired at protesters. Iran’s police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan, said on Sunday that security forces “escalated the level of confrontation against protesters.” Masoud Pezeshkian, this Sunday, asked the Iranian population to keep their distance from what he called “terrorists and rioters” and tried to seek a path of dialogue with the protesters. At the same time, Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of “sowing chaos and disorder” in the country.

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