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The president Donald Trump announced this Wednesday on his platform Truth Social that eight Iranian female protesters who were supposedly scheduled to be executed that night would not be put to death, attributing the outcome to his personal intervention with the leaders of Teherán.
According to Trump, four of the women would be released immediately while the other four would receive a one-month prison sentence.
"Very good news. I have just been informed that the eight women protesters who were to be executed tonight in Iran will no longer be executed. Four will be released immediately and four will be sentenced to one month in prison. I am very grateful that Iran and its leaders have respected my request as President of the United States and canceled the planned execution," Trump wrote.
However, the Iranian government described the U.S. president's claims as fake news, denying that there were any planned executions for that night.
Human rights organizations also questioned Trump's narrative, pointing out that two of the eight women were already out on bail before the announcement by the U.S. president.
The case gained particular significance after Bita Hemmati became the first woman sentenced to death in Iran in connection with the protests that shook the country, sparking a wave of international pressure on the Tehran regime.
The announcement comes at a time of high diplomatic tension, with the nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran at a critical juncture, and following the bilateral ceasefire mediated by Pakistan that both sides have accused each other of violating.
This is not the first time that Trump has made such claims: the president claimed to have prevented 837 executions with his warnings directed at foreign governments.
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