Press release of 7, Mai 2025
Iran: Poet Peyman Farahavar sentenced to death
PEN Berlin is deeply shocked by the death sentence passed on the poet Peyman Farahavar from the province of Gilan in Iran, known by his pen name Sheyda.
The »Revolutionary Court« in Rasht has accused him of »armed rebellion« and »war against God«. According to the human rights organisation Hengaw, the verdict was delivered following a summary trial on 6 May 2025 at Lakan Prison.
In his political poems, Peyman Farahavar campaigns for environmental protection and social justice. He criticises deforestation, illegal land sales, and the expulsion of local farmers from the province of Gilan by state measures.
»The death sentence against a poet who has done nothing but denounce environmental destruction and corruption exposes the Iranian power apparatus for what it is: a system of organised barbarism«, said PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel.
According to his family, Farahavar has been severely tortured since his arrest in September 2024, and has been denied legal counsel in detention and during the trial. His health is critical, and he has been hospitalised several times due to acute gastrointestinal problems.
»What is happening in Iran concerns us all. The international silence on these sentences encourages the regime in Tehran to continue its brutal crackdown on poets, intellectuals, and critical voices«, Yücel continued.
PEN Berlin is appealing to the new German government to use all diplomatic means at its disposal to urge the Iranian government to overturn the death sentence and release Peyman Farahavar immediately.
PEN Berlin. We stand by our word.