Iran is reportedly ready to proceed with the first execution of a protester as part of the wave of mass arrests that followed extensive anti-government demonstrations. According to human rights organizations Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) and National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFD), 26-year-old Erfan Soltani is expected to be hanged on Wednesday, January 14, after being arrested last week during a demonstration in the city of Karaj.
The Islamic Republic is set to execute Erfan Soltani this Wednesday.
He was arrested last week during Iran’s 2026 uprising.
His only crime is calling for freedom for Iran.
Be his voice, save Erfan Soltani. pic.twitter.com/mVeUNZcCXk
— National Union for Democracy in Iran (@NUFDIran) January 12, 2026
Iran: First protester execution scheduled for Wednesday
“His family has been notified that he has been sentenced to death and that his execution is scheduled for January 14,” sources tell IHRNGO, as reported by Fox News. IHRNGO director Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam stated in his announcement that “the extensive killings of unarmed protesters in recent days by the Islamic Republic are reminiscent of the regime’s crimes in the 1980s, which have been recognized as crimes against humanity,” Fox News adds.
“The danger of mass and extrajudicial executions of protesters is extremely serious,” the statement further emphasizes. “Under the Responsibility to Protect principle, the international community has a duty to protect civilian protesters from mass killings committed by the Islamic Republic and the Revolutionary Guards. We call on citizens and civil society in democratic countries to remind their governments of this responsibility.”
The NUFD is calling for international support to prevent Soltani’s execution, emphasizing that “his only crime was asking for freedom” for Iran. “Be his voice,” the organization wrote on X. According to the same organization, the 26-year-old was reportedly denied access to a lawyer.
Tehran’s prosecutor general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warned on Saturday that anyone participating in protests would be considered an “enemy of God,” which carries the death penalty, according to The Sun US.
His alleged execution has not yet been independently confirmed, writes the Daily Mail, as a communications blackout prevails while the country’s leadership attempts to suppress the protests.
Death toll of protesters rises – Over 10,000 arrested
The Norway-based NGO “Iran Human Rights” stated that 648 people were killed during the demonstrations, including nine under 18 years old, but warned that the death toll is likely much higher – “according to some estimates, more than 6,000,” it reported.
Meanwhile, as Sky News reports, an Iranian official told Reuters that approximately 2,000 people have been killed during the protests. The official added that this number includes security force members, attributing the deaths to “terrorists.”
Thousands of others have been injured, while nearly 10,700 people have been arrested since the protests began in late last year, due to their frustration over the collapse of the Iranian currency and economic mismanagement.
Witnesses described how the streets have turned into “war zones,” as security forces open fire against unarmed protesters with Kalashnikov rifles and morgues fill with body bags.
Trump: Considering intervention in Iran
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is weighing his options for possible intervention and declares readiness for “very strong options,” including military strikes. According to two US Defense Department officials who spoke to CBS News, Trump has been briefed on a wide range of military options and covert operations in case of US intervention in Iran and is weighing the data.
The scenarios being considered include long-range missile strikes, cyber warfare operations, as well as psychological operations aimed at eroding Iran’s administrative and communication structure.
The same sources estimate that any US military action would rely primarily on air power, while ways to disrupt Iranian military leadership and communication networks are being examined. Trump has stated publicly that the US military is “weighing very strong options,” especially if the bloodshed in Iran’s streets continues.
Merz: Iran’s regime experiencing its final days
For his part, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on Tuesday that Iran’s regime is experiencing its final days. “When a regime can only maintain power through violence, then it is essentially finished,” Merz told reporters in Bangalore during his visit to India. “I believe we are now witnessing the final days and weeks of this regime.”
Iran’s leaders “have no legitimacy” as they were not elected by the people, and the population is now “rising up,” Merz states, adding: “I hope there is a way to end this conflict peacefully.” He notes that Berlin is in contact with the United States and other European governments to ensure “that there can be a peaceful transition to a democratic government in Iran.”
