Man saved from execution after Trump threat left sobering final post on social media before capture

This is the final, sobering social media made by an Iranian protester who was scheduled to be executed.

Earlier this week, 26-year-old Erfan Soltani was named as the first Iranian civilian to be sentenced to death after weeks-long economic demonstrations spiralled into widespread anti-government protests across the Middle Eastern nation.

Soltani's execution was scheduled to take place yesterday (14 January), prompting his family members to plea for Donald Trump to intervene after the US president vowed to 'take very strong action' if arrested protesters were put to death.

His family has since been handed a major update over his fate, with the shopkeeper's execution postponed indefinitely in a rare move from the Iranian government, per human rights organisation Hengaw.

Soltani's current condition and whereabouts is not known due access to the internet currently being restricted in Iran.

The first protester who was said to be facing execution was Erfan Soltani (Hengaw)

Who is Erfan Soltani?

Soltani is a shop owner from the city of Fardis, who was arrested last Thursday after attending a protest in the city. Authorities did not notify his family of Soltani's arrest until days later, with IranWire reporting that he was denied legal representation in a fast-tracked trial.

Several social media accounts associated with Soltani have also surfaced online in the aftermath of his arrest, with the Farsi-language outlet suggesting he had allegedly been active in attending pro-democracy protests in the past couple of years.

A threads account which appears to be Soltani's uses the bio 'Women, Life, Freedom' a popular slogan calling for greater rights for women in the country after the death of Mahsa Amini.

22-year-old Amini was after being taken into custody by Iran's morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly, an incident which sparked mass demonstrations across the country.

The protests kicked off after discontent over the country's economic problems (Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)

His final post on the account included a photo of himself posted on 17 December, 11 days before the protests began, which included the caption 'Eternal'.

Meanwhile a translation of the bio on his Instagram account reportedly reads: 'Subject to the laws of the Imperial State of Iran' which is a reference to the pre-1979 monarchy while ruled Iran prior to the Islamic Revolution.

LADbible has not been able to independently verify the account being linked to Soltani.

What has the Iranian government said about the reports of Soltani's scheduled execution?

Iranian judiciary has denied accounts that Soltani's execution was linked to the protests, calling the reports a 'blatant act of news fabrication', per the BBC.

The judiciary also alleged that Soltani faced charges of 'colluding against national security' and 'propaganda activities against the establishment' which are not punishable by death.

Updates on the unrest in Iran has become more difficult to follow since the internet blackout (Anonymous/Getty Images)

This comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed there was 'no plan' to hang detained protesters.

News of Soltani's case came after the government of the Islamic Republic responded to protests with a nationwide internet blackout and brutal crackdowns – leaving thousands of people dead.

A confirmed number of dead is difficult to verify, however CBS News reports that at least 12,000 and as many as 20,000 people may have died during the crackdowns.