Relatives of Erfan Soltani, an Iranian shopkeeper sentenced to death for his involvement in an anti-government protest, are urgently appealing for intervention from former U.S. President Donald Trump. Soltani, 26, is believed to be the first protester from the recent Iranian uprising to receive a death sentence, with his execution anticipated today. His family, desperate to save him, spent the night demonstrating outside Ghezel Hesar prison, where he is held in solitary confinement. Soltani’s cousin, Somayeh, implored CNN, “We need Trump’s help immediately.”

She pleaded, “I beg you, please do not let Erfan be executed.” In response, Trump issued a stern warning to Iranian leaders, stating that America would take “very strong action” should the regime proceed with executing detained protesters. He cautioned, “If they hang them, you’re going to see something.” Despite these warnings, Iran dismissed the threats, declaring plans to expedite executions after apprehending 18,000 protesters amid an ongoing crackdown on anti-government demonstrations. Somayeh, pictured above, continues to call for international support.

Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, head of Iran’s judiciary, indicated on Wednesday that swift trials and executions are imminent for those arrested. He remarked, “If a person burned someone, beheaded someone and set them on fire, then we must act quickly.” Soltani, who was convicted and sentenced after participating in a protest last Thursday, faces imminent execution. His cousin Somayeh, overwhelmed by the news, expressed her distress, saying, “I was in so much shock, I cried so much… I keep feeling as if I am in a dream.”

She described Soltani as someone who ‘always wanted people to be at least free in the most basic aspects of life’. ‘He has always fought for the freedom of Iran, and today we see him standing under the gallows,’ she said. She denied that Soltani had ever ‘resorted to violence’ during the protests, instead insisting that ‘all the destruction’ was carried out by the regime itself. ‘In order to execute young people, they fabricate accusations against them,’ she added. She called on the US president to urgently intervene to help demonstrators, as they face the lethal crackdown perpetuated by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s theocratic government. ‘People trusted Trump’s words and came to the streets,’ she said.

Already, a bloody security force crackdown on the protests has killed at least 2,571, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Arina Moradi, a member of the Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights who has spoken to sources close to Soltani’s family, told the Daily Mail: ‘At this stage, Hengaw has not been able to independently confirm whether Erfan Soltani was executed today. Due to the ongoing and near-total internet and telecommunications shutdown, our ability to verify developments in real time remains extremely limited. We are actively trying to re-establish contact with sources connected to this case.’

‘However, so far, we have not received confirmation as to whether the family was ultimately able to see him, nor whether the sentence has been implemented. A source close to the family told Hengaw late last night that family members were on their way to Ghezel Hesar Prison, but no further updates have been verified since then.’ Trump has repeatedly warned that the United States may take military action over the killing of peaceful protesters, just months after it bombed Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war launched by Israel against the Islamic Republic in June. Despite the warnings, Iran’s judiciary chief Mohseni-Ejei urged swift and lethal action against demonstrators in a video shared by Iranian state television online.