He was forcibly arrested by the Revolutionary Guards in Rasht in August 2024 and severely tortured whilst in custody. He was denied access to a lawyer both during his detention and throughout the trial. According to the human rights organisation Hengaw, the charges are based on his outspoken criticism of environmental destruction, illegal land sales and social displacement in Gilan Province – issues that Farahavar had consistently addressed in his writings and poems.
According to human rights organisations, his health is in a critical condition following months of severe abuse. He suffers from acute gastrointestinal disorders and has had to be hospitalised on several occasions.
Source (verified and citable): Iran Sentences Fruit Seller to Death for Poetry Critical of the IRGC
Background information on repression against artists and Peyman’s case: Iran Moves to Silence Literary Voices with Arrests, Prison and Death Sentences - Center for Human Rights in Iran.
 

PEN Berlin, PEN Deutschland and HÁWAR.help, organisations based in Germany, have issued public statements on the case.

Statement from PEN Berlin: PEN Berlin expressed its deep shock at the death sentence handed down to Peyman Farahavar, which was announced on 6 May 2025 following a summary trial at Lakan Prison in Rasht. The poet is accused of “armed rebellion” and “waging war against God”. In his poems, Farahavar criticises environmental destruction, corruption and the displacement of local farmers in Gilan Province. PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel described the verdict as an expression of a “system of organised barbarism” and called on the German government to use diplomatic channels to secure the overturning of the verdict and Farahavar’s release.
Statement from PEN Germany: PEN Germany protests in the strongest possible terms against the death sentence handed down to the Iranian poet, journalist and environmental activist Peyman Farahavar, known by the pseudonym ‘Sheyda’. Farahavar was sentenced to death on 6 May 2025 for alleged “waging war against God” (“Moharebeh”), “armed rebellion” (“Baghi”) and “propaganda against the government”. The charges are based solely on his literary and socially critical work, in which he speaks out in particular against environmental destruction and structural injustices in the province of Gilan.
In the case of the Iranian poet Peyman Farahavar, known by the pseudonym Sheyda, several German media outlets have covered his death sentence extensively.

German media coverage

Die Tageszeitung (taz): On 9 May 2025, the taz reported on the death sentence against Farahavar, which was handed down in a summary trial at Lakan Prison in Rasht. In his poems, the poet had criticised environmental destruction and social injustice, in particular the deforestation of forests and the displacement of local farmers in Gilan Province. The taz highlighted that Farahavar was severely tortured following his arrest in September 2024 and was denied legal representation both in detention and during the trial.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ): On 8 May 2025, the FAZ reported on the death sentence handed down to Farahavar and emphasised that the verdict had been delivered by a Revolutionary Court on charges of “armed rebellion” and “waging war against God”. The newspaper quoted the human rights organisation Hengaw, which stated that Farahavar had been severely tortured during his detention and that his health was in a critical condition. 

Deutschlandfunk Kultur: In a report on 7 May 2025, Deutschlandfunk Kultur addressed the dangers faced by poets in Iran and highlighted the case of Farahavar as an example of the repression of critical voices. The broadcaster emphasised the importance of international attention and solidarity for persecuted artists.