Trump Announces “Good News”: Iranian Protester Will Not Face Death Sentence

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Thursday, January 15, 2026

President Donald Trump early Thursday declared it “good news” that an Iranian protester would not be sentenced to death by the regime for participating in recent country-wide protests.

In a Truth Social post, Trump linked the development to his warnings regarding U.S. actions against executions of protesters, stating he hopes such measures will continue.

During a Wednesday Oval Office briefing, Trump told reporters that “the killing in Iran is stopping” and there is “no plan for executions.” He added: “I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about that… If it happens, we’ll be very upset.”

The remarks followed mounting concerns that Erfan Soltani, 26, could face execution for his role in the protests.

A family member identified as Somayeh stated to reporters that while Soltani’s execution did not proceed as scheduled, it had not been canceled and they remain awaiting further information.

Hengaw, a Norway-based human rights organization, reported late Wednesday that Soltani’s execution had been postponed. However, Iran’s judiciary disputed the claims Thursday, stating via state media IRIB that Soltani has not been sentenced to death and would not face it under current charges.

Soltani was arrested January 10 and formally charged with “assembly and collusion against the country’s internal security” and “propaganda activities” against the regime, according to IRIB. The organization confirmed he would not be subject to capital punishment for those accusations.

Iran Human Rights reported that Iranian security forces have killed more than 3,400 people since protests began.