Iran Executes Protest Detainee Amid Widespread Crackdown, Rights Group Says

An Iran-based human rights organization, Hengaw, has reported that the Iranian government has sentenced a young man detained during recent protests to death.

According to the organization, the 26-year-old man was arrested last Thursday. Hengaw identified him as Erfan Soltani and said his family has been informed that his execution will be carried out on Wednesday. However, the family was not provided with any information about when the trial took place or what charges were brought against him.

Hengaw Organization for Human Rights representative Awar Shekhi said, “We have never seen a case concluded so quickly. The government is using every method it knows to suppress people and spread fear.”

BBC diplomatic correspondent Caroline Hawley said it may take more time to understand the true scale of the bloodshed that occurred in Iran during internet shutdowns. Iranians who are still able to make calls abroad are reportedly informing relatives overseas about widespread casualties and extensive destruction.

A resident of Rasht, a city on the Caspian Sea coast, said the city is no longer recognizable, describing scenes of fire and burn marks everywhere.

Alongside the use of live ammunition by security forces to quell protests, mass arrests have been reported across Iran. An Iranian government official has claimed that nearly 2,000 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed during the unrest.