Death sentence of Erfan Soltani

Erfan Soltani (Persian: عرفان سلطانی; born 1999) is a 26-year-old Iranian demonstrator detained during the 2025–2026 nationwide anti-government protests. Throughout January 2026, he was widely reported by Western media and certain opposition groups to have been sentenced to death or executed.

Soltani was arrested on 8 January 2026 and opposition groups claimed he was charged with "waging war against God" (Persian: محاربه, romanized: moharebeh), a capital offense under Iranian law. Soltani's execution was expected to be carried out via hanging on 14 January 2026. Human rights organizations reported Soltani was denied a lawyer and was not given a trial before his sentence. Iranian judiciary refuted the allegations, stating Soltani was charged with "colluding against national security" and "propaganda activities against the establishment," offenses which are not punishable by the death penalty in Iran. On 15 January 2026, British newspaper The Guardian reported that Erfan Soltani's execution "had been postponed", citing a member of his family abroad as a source. Western media and human rights organisations have cited Soltani as an example of the Iranian authorities' handling of detainees during the January 2026 nationwide protests.

On 15 January, the Iranian judiciary dismissed foreign media reports of Soltani's impending execution as a "fabrication". The Iranian judiciary stated that Soltani was accused of "conspiring against national security" and engaging in "propaganda against the regime," offenses that do not carry the death penalty, according to the state broadcaster IRIB.

According to the Human Rights Organization Hangaw, Soltani met with his family on 16 January and was in good health. By 2 February, he was reported to have been released on bail.