Jailed Iranian poet's death sentence upheld by Supreme Court

Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of a poet from northern Iran whose works focused on social justice and civil rights, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of a poet from northern Iran whose works focused on social justice and civil rights, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
“The death sentence of Peyman Farahavar, which had been issued by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht, was reviewed in Branch 39 of the Supreme Court following an appeal. The appeal was rejected and the death sentence of my client was upheld,” defense lawyer Ramin Safarnia wrote on X.
“A request for a retrial will be submitted to the Supreme Court, and we hope that through legal means, this prisoner’s death sentence will be overturned,” he added.
Farahavar, from Gilan province in northern Iran, was arrested by security forces in 2024.
He was sentenced to death on April 30, this year on alleged charges of baghi (armed rebellion) and moharebeh (waging war against God).
The US-based rights group Human Rights Activists News Agency, citing an informed source close to the family, said the charges were based on his poems and protest activities related to social justice and civil rights.
Iran has executed at least 1,000 people so far this year, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR).
At least 30 people have been executed this year on security-related charges such as baghi (armed rebellion) and moharebeh (waging war against God), according to IHR.