Since its inception, the Islamic regime of Iran has made examples of dissidents by executing them — often publicly.As anti-ayatollah demonstrations rage across the country, authorities have chosen a 26-year-old protestor to be hanged in an attempt to dissuade his countrymen from continuing with their pursuit for freedom.His name is Erfan Soltani.According to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Soltani is from the city of Karaj, which is located about 50 km west of the capital, Tehran. He was arrested on January 8 in connection with the protests, and just four days later, sentenced to death.Despite pleadings from his family, one member of which is a lawyer, Soltani was not provided legal counsel, or a proper trial. The regime has reportedly told him he will have only a few minutes to say goodbye to his loved ones before being hanged, though no contact has been allowed since his arrest. "This case constitutes a clear violation of international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, particularly Article 6 on the right to life," HOHR wrote in a statement. "The imposition and planned execution of a death sentence under conditions where the accused has been denied access to a lawyer, an effective defense, and an independent and impartial trial amounts to an extrajudicial execution.".The group noted that "the rushed and non-transparent handling of this case has heightened concerns over the use of the death penalty as a tool to suppress public protests."According to the BBC, there could be many others in Soltani's situation, however due to the internet blackout in Iran and opacity of the regime, accurate numbers are hard to come by.Upon hearing that Tehran was preparing to execute protestors, United States President Donald Trump vowed to take "strong action" against the regime..Trump vows to take 'strong action' in Iran if Islamic regime starts hanging protestors."If they hang them, you're gonna see some things that — I don't know where you come from or what your thought process is, but you'll perhaps be very happy," he said. "We will take very strong action if they do such a thing."Trump made it clear that "the end-game is to win," telling the reporter, "I like winning."When asked how he defined "winning" in Iran, he cited the United States' successful operation in Venezuela, as well as the killing of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and former Iranian regime military officer Qasem Soleimani."We don't wanna see what's happening in Iran happen," Trump concluded. "If they wanna have protests that's one thing, when they start killing thousands of people and now you're telling me about hanging — we'll see how that works out for them. It's not gonna work out good."
