Beyond the rampant killings of demonstrators on the streets by security forces, Soltani’s is the first known case of an execution being ordered amid the current unrest.
However, Mordai said her group was “very concerned” about the fate of other detained protesters following the regime’s threats of harsh punishments. Many more executions are expected.
A source close to the Soltani family said authorities told them that his “imminent” death sentence was final and he would only be allowed a brief moment with his relatives before the execution.
Soltani was arrested at his home in Karaj, in north-central Iran. Four days later, his family was notified that his execution was scheduled, according to the Hengaw organisation.
It said he was given no right to defence or to a proper trial, adding: “This case constitutes a clear violation of international human rights law.”
Some 10,700 people have been arrested since protests began late last year, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
The Islamic Republic, shaken by the scale of the protests and Trump’s threats to intervene, is expected to make an example of some protesters in an effort to quell the unrest.
The regime’s security forces launched a crackdown on the demonstrations last week after they spread to all of Iran’s 31 provinces, opening fire on crowds under apparent shoot-to-kill orders.
One Iranian official told Reuters that 2000 people had been killed in the unrest so far, but human rights groups said the real death toll could be far higher.
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On Tuesday, Trump, who is considering airstrikes against the regime, told Iranian protesters that “help is on its way”. He warned that the regime’s “killers and abusers” would “pay a big price”.
The unrest, which broke out on December 28 over economic grievances, quickly grew into a national movement with thousands taking to the streets demanding an end to the regime that has ruled the country since 1979.
Information from inside Iran is scarce after the regime imposed an internet blackout, in an apparent attempt to hide reports of security forces opening fire on protesters.
Hospitals are overwhelmed with victims, and bodies have piled up outside morgues, according to footage that has managed to be sent abroad.
On Tuesday, the US warned its citizens to leave Iran immediately.
The Telegraph, London
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