Iranian protester Erfan Soltani released on bail, reports say

A 26-year-old Iranian man who was reportedly sentenced to death in connection with anti-government protests last month has been released on bail, reports say.

Erfan Soltani was arrested on 8 January in the city of Fardis, just west of Tehran, as protests swept across the country, prompting a deadly crackdown by Iranian authorities.

Officials then informed his family that he had been scheduled to be executed within days, without giving any additional details, according to Norway-based Kurdish human rights group Hengaw.

But Iran's judiciary denied that he was sentenced to death, saying he faced security-related charges carrying prison terms only.

Soltani's lawyer, Amir Mousakhani, told the AFP news agency that he was released on bail on Saturday "and received all of his belongings including his cellphone".

A bail of "two billion tomans" (around $12,600; £9,200) was paid for his release, the lawyer added.

Hengaw and Iranian media, including Isna, a semi-official Iranian news agency, also said Soltani had been bailed.

The arrest of Soltani, a clothes shop owner, made headlines around the world when it was reported that he was allegedly due to be executed.

At the time, one of Soltani's relatives told BBC Persian that a court had issued a death sentence "in an extremely rapid process, within just two days".

In January, the Iranian government called reports by foreign media organisations that Soltani faced execution a "blatant act of news fabrication".

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said in an interview with US television that there was "no plan" to hang people.

Following the initial reports, Hengaw later said that, according to information obtained through relatives, Soltani's execution was postponed.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has confirmed the killing of more than 6,300 people since the unrest began in late December, and is investigating another 17,000 reported deaths.

Another group, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), has warned the final toll could exceed 25,000.

In remarks on Sunday, Khamenei accused protesters of attacking police, the IRGC and other facilities including banks and mosques.