Iranian Protester Erfan Soltani Released on Bail, Lawyer Confirms

Tehran. Iranian protester Erfan Soltani has been released on bail, his lawyer told AFP on Sunday. Lawyer Amir Mousakhani said, “The 26-year-old youth Soltani was released on Saturday during the protests last month that resulted in thousands of deaths, and he has received all his belongings, including his cellphone.”

Soltani was arrested on January 10 during the recent nationwide protests in Iran. The judiciary stated in January that he was being held in custody in Karaj outside Tehran on charges of propagating against the Islamic system of Iran and working against national security.

The US State Department had stated on its Persian-language X account that he had been sentenced to death. The Iranian judiciary later stated that the investigation into his case was ongoing and that the death penalty was not among the charges against him.

The protests began as peaceful demonstrations on December 28 but later turned into nationwide violence (riots) after force was used to suppress the protesters.

Iran has accused the United States and Israel of inciting unrest. It has alleged that the two countries were involved in promoting the Iranian movement as a ‘terrorist attack’. In particular, the protests reached their peak on January 8 and 9, with widespread violent incidents occurring.

Tehran has admitted that more than three thousand people died during the protests, but described the violence as ‘terrorist activity’, stating that most of the deceased were security force members and innocent bystanders.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) claims to have confirmed the deaths of 6,713 protesters during the movement.

The protests in Iran have now subsided, and tensions between the government and anti-government groups have eased.