Iran’s anti-government protests have resulted in the brutal killing of thousands, and as Donald Trump warns of potential airstrikes should civilian deaths continue, a shopkeeper has been condemned to a grim execution.

The unrest began two weeks ago in Tehran’s markets due to soaring inflation, which rendered basic commodities unaffordable and led to some items disappearing from shop shelves. The central bank’s decision to terminate a scheme that allowed certain importers to obtain cheaper US dollars compared to the rest of the market forced shopkeepers to hike up their prices.

The turmoil has now engulfed all 31 provinces of Iran, with bodies strewn across the streets and the government confessing to the murder of at least 2,000 protesters. Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old who was reportedly involved in the anti-government demonstrations last week, was arrested at his home in Fardis, according to human rights organisations.

He is set to be hanged today after being granted just 10 minutes to say goodbye to his family. It is believed Erfan was denied legal representation and, as far as his family knows, no trial was held to consider his case, say sources within the country.

With a staggering 972 executions in Iran in 2024, compared to the US’s 25, as reported by United Against Nuclear Iran – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule of over 35 years has been marked by frequent use of the death penalty, even during periods of relative peace.

Awyar Shekhi, from human rights organisation Hengaw, said: “We have never witnessed a case move so quickly. The government is using every tactic they know to suppress people and spread fear.”, reports the Mirror.

Concerns are mounting that street executions, troops firing into crowds and individuals beaten to death with police rifle butts could escalate into widespread state executions. Erfan’s demise is expected to be a grim one.

Public hanging by construction crane is a particularly slow and agonising method of execution, according to Iran Human Rights.

Human rights experts explained: “Cranes are used when carrying out public executions. The prisoners are either pulled up or the object they are standing on is removed from beneath their feet. In this case, the prisoners die of suffocation and strangulation and it often takes several minutes until death occurs.”

The Human Rights Committee has noted that public executions contravene the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

They stated that any failure to uphold Article 7 would inevitably result in the execution being deemed arbitrary, thus violating Article 6 of the ICCPR.

Stoning remains a state-endorsed method of execution, alongside other legal methods such as firing squad, beheading, and being thrown from a height.

However, there have been no reported instances of stoning punishments since 2010, largely due to mounting international pressure in the preceding decade, which culminated with the campaign to save Sakineh Ashtiani in 2010.

In a chilling case revealed by the Center for Human Rights in Iran in October 2021, Payman Derafshan, a former chairman of the Iranian Bar Association’s Lawyers’ Defense Committee, bit off part of his tongue after being forcibly administered an unidentified injection that induced seizures while he was in the custody of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organisation.

Meanwhile, residents are anxious about what lies ahead, particularly the prospect of military action after US President Donald Trump suggested he might deploy armed forces. Tehran shopkeeper Mahmoud told reporters: “My customers talk about Trump’s reaction while wondering if he plans a military strike against the Islamic Republic “I don’t expect Trump or any other foreign country cares about the interests of Iranians.

” Reza, a taxi driver who also gave just his first name, said: “People – particularly young ones – are hopeless but they talk about continuing the protests. “.