Iran Supreme Court upholds death sentence of dissident poet Peyman Farahavar

Hengaw – Wednesday, September 24, 2025

The Supreme Court of Iran has upheld the death sentence of Peyman Farahavar, a dissident Gilak poet and political prisoner held in Lakan Prison, Rasht. He was sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary on charges of “baghi” (armed rebellion) and “moharebeh” (Waging war against God).

The Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights has learned that the Supreme Court recently upheld Farahavar's (36), Rasht's death sentence.

Earlier, Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht, presided over by Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar, sentenced him to death on charges of baghi and moharebeh, and to an additional three months in prison for “propaganda against the state.”

During his detention, Farahavar was denied access to legal counsel and family visits. He was held for two months in an intelligence detention facility, where he was subjected to severe torture, and was denied legal representation even during his trial.

The hearing in his case was held on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht. The charges stemmed from his protest activities against state institutions and officials over environmental destruction and the devastation of Gilan’s natural habitats.

Farahavar was arrested in September 2024 by the IRGC Intelligence Organization in Rasht, during which he was subjected to severe beatings. After enduring two months of torture and interrogation, he was transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht.

Known by his pen name “Sheyda,” Farahavar has been outspoken through his poetry and writings against environmental destruction, rampant villa construction, and state policies that impoverish local farmers, forcing them to sell their lands to non-local buyers. His outspoken criticism of these policies is believed to be among the main reasons for his arrest and the heavy charges against him.