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.
Satellite images reviewed by AP show construction at missile sites in Parchin and Shahroud, where buildings housing mixers appear under repair.
“If they’re able to reacquire some key things like planetary mixers, then that infrastructure is still there and ready to get rolling again,” said Sam Lair of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
Solid-fuel missiles are central to Iran’s deterrence strategy after Israeli strikes decimated much of its air defense.
Iran operates solid-fuel missile production facilities at Khojir and Parchin, both near Tehran, as well as at Shahroud, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) northeast of the capital. All three sites were struck by Israel in October 2024, during earlier hostilities between the two countries.
Experts say the June strikes appeared designed to destroy buildings housing mixers, the machines essential for evenly combining missile fuel.
Iran had been producing more than 200 solid-fuel missiles a month before the war, according to AP.
Iran fired more than 570 ballistic missiles during the conflict, depleting an estimated third of its arsenal, according to the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.
Western officials believe Tehran could try to source mixers and propellant chemicals from China, which has previously supplied materials for Iran’s missile program. Beijing said it supports Iran’s sovereignty but voiced “deep concern” over rising regional tensions.
Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said last month the country was now focused on producing “military equipment with higher precision and greater operational capabilities.”
Border Police sappers neutralized the device, and troops swept the area, the army said.
A week earlier, security forces raided a site near Ramallah, seizing dozens of rockets and arresting three suspects after an attempted launch.
Defense officials said, “foreign elements, led by Iran,” were working to promote rocket fire from the West Bank, which could place cities in central and northern Israel within range.
Iran has not commented on the allegations.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, were arrested during a motorcycle world tour and accused of spying -- allegations they deny. Their son, Joe Bennett, said the pair were enduring “survival conditions” and urged the UK government to act.
The BBC reported that the couple’s family said they were “in the dark” about the upcoming court appearance, with their son confirming they had only been told the pair were due in court on Saturday.
“The systematic harassment and violations must stop. They need real, tangible support for their court appearances and to ensure proper medical attention, regular family contact and the urgent securing of their release,” Bennett said in a statement.
Rights groups and a source familiar with the case have alleged the couple were held in solitary confinement, beaten and threatened with execution by Iranian intelligence agents seeking forced confessions.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was “deeply concerned” and continued to raise the case with Iranian authorities.
Britain has repeatedly rejected Tehran’s charges and pressed for the couple’s release. Western governments and rights organizations say Iran has a history of detaining foreign nationals as leverage in disputes, an accusation Tehran denies.
