Lakan Prison, Rasht: Gilak dissident poet Peyman Farahavar sentenced to death
Hengaw: Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Peyman Farahavar, a dissident Gilak poet from Rasht who writes under the pen name Sheyda, has been sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary after more than eight months in detention.
According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Farahavar was sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Ahmad Darvish Goftar, on charges of baghi (armed rebellion) and moharebeh (Waging war against God). He also received an additional three-month prison term for “propaganda against the government.” The verdict was formally delivered to him on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at Lakan Prison in Rasht.
His trial took place on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at the same court. The charges stem from his protest activities, particularly his outspoken criticism of government institutions and officials over environmental destruction in Gilan Province.
A family source told Hengaw, “During his detention, Peyman was subjected to severe torture and was denied legal representation both while imprisoned and during the trial.”
The source added that Farahavar has long used his poetry and writings to condemn deforestation, the construction of luxury villas, and state-driven policies that have forced Gilan’s farmers to sell their land to non-local buyers—criticisms that formed the basis of the charges against him.
Farahavar was forcibly arrested by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) agents in Rasht in September 2024. He was beaten during the arrest and transferred to Lakan Prison after enduring two months of torture and interrogation.
His physical condition is critical, and he has been hospitalized multiple times due to serious gastrointestinal problems.
It is worth noting that Peyman Farahavar had previously been detained for exposing misconduct by local authorities in Gilan through his writing and activism.
