Capital punishment

Iranian protester Erfan Soltani released on bail, reports say

Reports in January had said he was due to be executed after his arrest in connection with anti-government protests.

In a highly controversial move, some Israeli MPs are trying to introduce the death penalty for Palestinian attackers.

The judiciary says Soltani is not facing charges carrying the death penalty, while a rights group reports that the execution has been "postponed".

The US president does not rule out military action in Iran, as Tehran temporarily shuts its airspace to nearly all flights.

Iranian officials say Soltani, 26, has not been sentenced to death.

The Iran Human Rights (IHR) group says it has verified at least 1,500 executions up until the start of December.

Zahra Tabari, 67, was sentenced to death after a trial that lasted less than 10 minutes, her family says.

At least 347 people have now been put to death this year, according to the UK-based campaign group Reprieve.

This brings the country's total number of executions to 17 this year - the highest since 2003.

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